Chapter 95
Wang Zhong stared at the thing rising in the distance, frowning tightly: "What the hell did I hit?"
Could it... not be a nuclear bomb, right? If the enemy had nukes, we'd already be meeting King Yan.
Then it must've been the ammo truck that exploded.
The fiery orange ball and mushroom cloud rising into the sky were things Wang Zhong had never encountered before*he couldn't see them from a bird's-eye view, but could see them with the naked eye.
Looks like the shelling did hit something*should we charge in now while the enemy's anti-tank positions are in chaos to grab some gains?
Wang Zhong thought it over and ultimately decided not to take the risk.
He had two reasons: first, the heavy artillery hit something this time, which meant the enemy really had set up anti-tank guns at these spots*it was a trap. And he wasn't strong enough to force his way through it.
Second, the enemy's tank crews were too elite*just yesterday, someone had already been targeting the tracks and turret rings.
Today, thanks to the preset emplacements, they finally managed to protect the tracks and turret rings, and also temporarily fixed the issue of the T34s' blind spots. The current combat loss ratio looked great*no, actually, Wang Zhong's side hadn't suffered any losses at all.
But once you leave the emplacements, the situation changes*during chaotic fighting, the elite Prossenian old tank crews would definitely have the upper hand.
These two reasons made Wang Zhong give up the idea of taking a reckless gamble.
Sigh, so what if I play turtle? So what if I hide in my shell and act like a sneaky bastard? Come bite me if you've got the guts!
If the enemy dares to push up the 88s, Wang Zhong would call in the 203s to greet them. The 88s are fixed weapons that need to be set up*once they enter the line of sight, they're just waiting to get shelled.
If they don't bring up the 88s, I've still got sandbags 40 centimeters thick outside the armor*whether it's the Type 3's 50mm pea shooter or the Type 4's 75mm stubby fat gun, I'm not afraid!
I've also got infantry cover*not scared of enemy infantry charging in for a meat grinder fight.
Most importantly, these 20-plus T34s are a mobile force. Even if the enemy sees the tank defense line as impregnable and wants to shift their main attack, the tanks can quickly provide support or even flank them.
The more Wang Zhong thought about it, the more he felt he shouldn't move.
He started thinking from the enemy's point of view: how would they crack this turtle shell?
After thinking it over, he figured only the Stukas dropping 500kg or even 1000kg "gas cans" could do the trick*otherwise, they couldn't break through!
Following that line of thought, Wang Zhong naturally came up with using smoke grenades to counter the enemy's air raids*if they can't see the target, they can't bomb it.
Not to mention Stuka dive-bombings*even on Earth, even the Third Reich's Fritz X radio-controlled bombs were scared of smoke. These things had a radio operator on the plane guiding them by eyesight*once smoke blocked the view, the guided bomb would most likely miss the target.
Then Wang Zhong thought, even if a 500kg thing didn't land directly on the tank, dropping it nearby would still be devastating.
It might not kill everyone inside the tank, but it could still damage the tank.
Even just breaking the tracks would greatly reduce the tank's combat effectiveness.
When a tank can move, it can reverse away from infantry and use firepower to mow them down. But when it's immobile and infantry get close, it becomes a sitting duck.
Because of this, tank crews in the later stages of the war all carried submachine guns*if they spotted infantry approaching, they could climb out and shoot back.
Wang Zhong understood this. The enemy Stuka pilots probably understood it too*would they still drop bombs through the smoke?
Wang Zhong calculated again and again, deciding to think one step ahead of the enemy*move the tanks to a reserve position, and have the Protectorate Army soldiers with smoke grenades hide near the empty tank emplacements, ready to throw smoke grenades.
Once Monk Petro hears the Stukas approaching, he'll use smoke to cover the empty tank emplacements.
Didn't see that coming, did you? I'm operating on the second layer!
The key is that this approach has no risk*the reserve positions were carefully chosen, and can also stop the enemy. The only downside is that their firing angles are worse than the first position, and there's no cover to block the weak spots*so they might still get their tracks broken or their turret rings jammed.
Wang Zhong made up his mind and waved to the nearby standby Protectorate Army priests: "Come here quick! I've got a task for you!"
The priest ran over: "Say the word, General!"
Judging by the priest's expression, that big fireball and mushroom cloud in the distance had clearly boosted morale on their side too.
Wang Zhong gave his instructions accordingly, then used the radio to call the command vehicles of each platoon and arranged for the tanks to retreat to the reserve position.
****
"Call the air force!"
Major General Franz said firmly.
"It's impossible to push the 88mm guns forward*as long as the enemy's 203s haven't been suppressed or destroyed, we can't afford to deploy those slow-deploying anti-air guns to the frontline. Even though we still have half our anti-air ammo... I think that White Horse General won't fall for it."
Actually, Major General Franz made a mistake here*he overestimated the White Horse General, just like the 15th Division's Chief of Staff did yesterday.
But you couldn't really blame him. The ambush he carefully planned didn't lure the enemy in*instead, the enemy returned fire with artillery, a blind shot no less, and the shell landed right in the best spot he had set up for the anti-tank ambush.
What did that mean? It meant the enemy had thoroughly surveyed the entire battlefield and had thought through all possibilities from the opposing perspective!
That's the mark of a top-tier tactician.
The key was*the spot the White Horse General picked was exactly the same as the one Franz himself had picked. If the two sides had chosen locations even slightly differently, the shell wouldn't have hit anything.
This fact made Major General Franz instantly elevate the enemy to his own level*he was genuinely impressed.
Of course, the Major General wouldn't admit it. After all, according to the Empire's propaganda minister, the Ants were an inferior race, and their generals had to be inferior too. Prossen would prove their racial superiority in the conquest of Ant, just like they did when conquering Carolingian.
No, he must not admit the enemy was strong*he had to show contempt for them.
So Franz calmed himself and added, "Although we can handle those tanks in the emplacements too!"
The fact that the enemy tanks were hiding in emplacements had already been reported by the retreating decoy units.
In the Prossenian military manual, armored defenses also involve digging tank emplacements to protect the vulnerable parts of the tank. Although the Prossenian army hadn't applied this knowledge yet, given their professionalism, the tank crews were all familiar with it.
Franz: "But! The air force can handle this better and more smoothly! We're calling in air support*not because we fear the White Horse General and his new tanks!"
"Then..." the Chief of Staff from the 15th Armored cautiously asked, "The air force probably won't arrive until two or three in the afternoon*maybe even four. What do we do until then?"
Major General Franz gritted his teeth and said: "What kind of question is that? Before the tank crews showed up, we were a force that fought with artillery and infantry*we've won countless battles! We have the finest infantry and artillery in all of Europa! Rolling barrage, infantry assault!"
****
When Wang Zhong saw the rolling barrage, he was just about to order the tank crews to get out and take cover*only to see his subordinates already moving on their own.
In the blink of an eye, the tank crews had all ducked into the nearby cellar, lying low.
The rolling barrage passed quickly. By the time Wang Zhong and the others climbed out and got back on the tanks, the fields outside the city were filled with smoke. The last wave of the enemy's rolling barrage had been smoke shells!
Wait a second*this smoke...
Wang Zhong was still quite far from the smoke, but he was already coughing, his eyes burning painfully! This was tear gas smoke!
From within the smoke came the sound of whistles.
Wang Zhong had heard that sound in World War I movies*it was the whistle used by the Second Reich during attacks.
The shrill whistles echoed one after another.
Then, Prossenian infantry started emerging from the smoke, one after another*all wearing gas masks, the reflections on their masks looked like the eyes of demons from hell.
A Protectorate Army machine gun had just fired a burst when the gunner, eyes and nose streaming with tears and mucus, was stabbed by a Prossenian soldier charging from the side*he collapsed limply onto the machine gun.
That Prossenian pulled out the bloodied bayonet, pulled the pin on a grenade, and tossed it through a nearby window.
The blast shattered the glass, and the Protectorate Army inside screamed in agony.
Wang Zhong climbed into a tank*he instantly realized: these Protectorate Army troops weren't the 31st Guards Regiment*they couldn't out-grind these Prossenian veterans!
And worse, the tanks he had weren't suited for close-quarters combat!
He'd been too focused on dealing with the Stukas*didn't expect the enemy to go with such a straightforward move!
The battlefield really was full of surprises and "delight," huh!
(End of Chapter)