Chapter 96
Wang Zhong saw the Prossenian forces charging forward like this and immediately gave the radio order: "Fall back! All tanks fall back! Avoid close-quarters combat with infantry!"
His Vehicle 422 began moving right away, and from the overhead view, all radio-equipped platoon command vehicles started moving too, but the other tanks remained in place and kept firing!
With the enemy right in front of them, the tank commanders didn't even notice the platoon command vehicles were moving!
Damn it, what kind of crap setup is this where only the platoon command tanks have radios! Whoever approved this design should be executed five hundred times!
But there are always more solutions than problems*Wang Zhong, burning with anxiety, racked his brain and actually came up with one.
Wang Zhong pressed the mic at his throat: "Platoon command vehicle, fire your coaxial machine gun at the other vehicles in the platoon to let them know it's time to retreat!"
****
Inside Vehicle 213, the battle was raging fiercely.
Empty casings from the bow and coaxial machine guns clattered to the floor of the fighting compartment.
Suddenly, the tank commander stopped firing and listened intently: "Is someone shooting at us from behind?"
Then he saw tracer rounds flying forward from the rear through the gun sight.
He immediately turned his head and looked out through the narrow vision slit on the turret, discovering that the platoon commander had already fallen far behind!
"The platoon commander's pulled back!" the commander shouted.
Loader Alexei shoved a shell into the breech: "High-explosive round, alright! That coward of a platoon commander got scared!"
"No, wait! Then why is he shooting at us with the machine gun?" The commander thought for a moment, "This must be a General's order*fall back, quickly!"
Seeing Vehicle 213 retreating, the platoon command vehicle immediately switched targets and opened fire on Vehicle 214.
The commander had a flash of insight and turned his gun to fire the coaxial machine gun at Vehicle 212 on the far left of the formation.
The mechanic operated the bow machine gun, wildly spraying at the enemy breaking through ahead.
Vehicle 212 quickly caught on and began to retreat too, but it was already too late*Prossenian infantry had approached it from its blind spot and climbed straight onto the turret.
Without hesitation, the commander mowed down all the Prossenians with the coaxial machine gun.
However, the 212 itself blocked most of the firing arc, and from the obscured area, a Prossenian tossed a smoking grenade.
The grenade landed on the engine cover of 212 and exploded instantly, spreading open flames over several meters and generating thick white smoke.
The white smoke completely obscured 213's view*the commander could only see the flaming crew members of 212 jumping out of the tank, rolling on the ground trying to put out the fire.
Another grenade was tossed over the burning 212 and exploded on the ground.
The tank crew member on the ground stopped rolling and let the flames consume him.
The commander paused for a second, then shouted, "Fall back! 212 is done for!"
He continued firing into the thick smoke, trying to hold off the advancing Prossenian infantry.
****
Wang Zhong looked at the battlefield, heart aching like it was being slashed by knives.
Just last night, they'd barely managed to hastily repair five T34s, reducing losses to three*yet in just a few minutes, they'd already lost twelve!
Aside from the six platoon command vehicles, only Armor Platoon 1 was still relatively intact, holding onto Vehicles 213 and 214!
The bastard who decided only platoon command tanks should have radios should be shot alongside the bastard who decided to combine the roles of tank commander and gun commander!
Overwhelmed with grief and anger, Wang Zhong didn't even notice the Prossenians were using incendiary grenades*a weapon that could've been replaced with Molotov cocktails, yet they had developed a dedicated grenade.
Grief was grief, but a plan was still needed. The good news was that out of the remaining tanks, six had radios and could be commanded.
The bad news was the Prossenians had filled the area with smoke*there was no way to fully utilize the tanks' firepower.
The Protectorate Army was fighting bravely, but they didn't have gas masks, and the tear gas severely weakened their combat effectiveness.
Elite Prossenian armored grenadiers were efficiently clearing out every building!
Though the situation was dire, Wang Zhong didn't stop thinking.
No visibility**
Wang Zhong suddenly thought of Earth's World War II*the meat grinder between the Yanks and the Japanese on Guadalcanal.
The Japanese excelled at night fighting, while the Americans were as bad at it as ever*but the U.S. troops guarding Henderson Field came up with a way to counter Japanese night raids.
In essence: If I can't see you at night, then I don't need to see you*just set up the firepower during the day and spray blindly at night.
Every weapon was assigned a fixed range and firing zone. The American soldiers just needed to fire mechanically to completely seal the front*and then wait for the Japanese to walk into the bullets.
Wang Zhong looked at the now smoke-filled southeastern city district and made up his mind*it was time to see what he was really made of.
First, he needed an open area*and it had to lie directly across the enemy's path of advance.
Using the overhead view, Wang Zhong immediately found the spot: the square in front of the train station.
Conveniently, the supply depot headquarters was nearby, and there was another square in front of it*together, the two squares formed an open area more than a hundred meters long and wide.
Best of all, the hospital, train station, train marshaling yard, and supply depot HQ were all to the north of the square*blocking the square would protect all these critical locations.
As long as a fire zone was set up here, even if the enemy used smoke, they could hold them off.
But tanks alone weren't enough*having some elite veterans to assist would be even better**
Wang Zhong suddenly noticed his unit's insignia at the train station.
The Fifth Beshensk Regiment!
He had transferred 81 members of the Fifth Beshensk Regiment to the station, hoping to preserve the regiment's legacy.
In this situation, those 81 veterans might be more reliable than 800 Protectorate Army troops!
Additionally, there were anti-aircraft units near the train station. If he could find a way to delay the enemy and redeploy the AA troops, they could help seal the area more effectively.
As for what to do if enemy aircraft showed up*he'd deal with that when it happened. For now, he had to plug the hole in front of him.
Wang Zhong immediately gave the order: "All tanks, stay close*we're moving to the square in front of the train station at top speed! Watch out for craters on the road!"
The second platoon leader asked, "What about the Protectorate Army troops still resisting? Are we leaving them behind?"
Wang Zhong fell silent*but after a second, he gritted his teeth and gave the order: "Yes, we're leaving them. Their resistance will delay the enemy and buy us time."
Wang Zhong recalled how the Protectorate Army soldiers had pulled him out from under the tank just yesterday.
This order felt like a dagger driven into his heart*as if a chunk of his chest had been ripped out, even his breathing became short.
The tanks completed their turn and started rolling down the street.
Wang Zhong, caught up in a swell of emotion, even forgot to dodge the stray bullets flying at him from behind*fortunately, they weren't well-aimed.
Wang Zhong thought of a documentary he'd watched as a child about the Battle of Triangle Hill. A platoon leader in it had said: "Really, I was just lining up the order in which people would die. How could it not hurt? We were comrades-in-arms day and night. But someone had to go, to fire the machine gun from the trench entrance*if they died, replace them with the next. There was no other way."
Wang Zhong had seen that documentary when he was little*he couldn't remember its name or the name of the old veteran, only that line, which had transcended time and dimensions.
Now Wang Zhong finally understood the emotion behind that line.
He turned and looked at the red flag fluttering from the antenna behind the tank turret.
The noonday sun fell upon the red flag.
****
As Vehicle 422 rolled into the square in front of the train station, Wang Zhong shouted from a distance to the Beshensk Regiment troops at the station gate: "Send a squad to the anti-aircraft position and get something that can quickly and efficiently kill infantry!"
The few who heard Wang Zhong's words exchanged glances and immediately ran off together toward the AA position.
The "acting regimental commander" of the Fifth Beshensk Regiment, Lieutenant Pavel Alexeyevich, ran over and shouted, "What's going on?"
Wang Zhong: "The enemy is using smoke constantly. The Protectorate Army lacks training and equipment*they can't hold them. We're going to set up a kill zone here. Do you have any machine guns?"
"We've got two."
Wang Zhong immediately located two spots from his overhead view and pointed them out to the lieutenant: "Put the machine guns here, set the range to 100 meters, and use that deck chair over there as the aiming reference. Have your gunners memorize this location. When the smoke comes, just keep doing short bursts across this area!"
The lieutenant turned and ran off.
Wang Zhong continued using the radio to direct several command tanks: "First Platoon, take your two vehicles to the front of that birch tree northwest of the square*aim straight ahead. Use the hull machine guns to sweep, and keep firing high-explosive shells from the main gun. When the enemy's smoke appears, just do that!"
The First Platoon leader immediately drove Vehicles 213 and 214 over.
Wang Zhong continued using the overhead view to assign the remaining tanks to optimal positions, forming overlapping fields of fire.
Just then, the men he had sent to the AA position returned with two GAZ trucks*mounted in the truck beds were quad-mounted heavy machine guns.
"General! Will this do?"
"Perfect, more than enough!" Wang Zhong was overjoyed and immediately assigned the positions.
There was one more issue. He loudly called over to the Protectorate Army troops guarding the station: "You don't need to guard anymore*go to the supply depot and keep hauling out machine gun ammo. Deliver it to the tanks and machine guns. I'll have the tanks open their hatches*just hand the ammo straight in!"
The Protectorate Army troops immediately turned and called out to the other guards, then ran toward the supply depot headquarters.
Everything was ready. Wang Zhong took a deep breath and glanced once more at the red flag.
Let's hope all these sacrifices lead to something good.
Just then, someone came out of the station dragging a phone line and carrying a field phone*heading straight for Wang Zhong: "Call from Rokosov Battle Group Headquarters!"
Wang Zhong took the phone: "Hello? This is Rokosov!"
Pavlov's voice came from the other end: "We received a telegram from the 63rd Army Group, sent from about 30 kilometers away. They've already dispatched a fast unit to reinforce us as soon as possible."
Wang Zhong: "Tanks?"
"No, the 63rd doesn't have mechanized units, only some logistics trucks."
Wang Zhong: "Then get them here as fast as possible. The situation here is extremely dangerous*the enemy's about to reach the area in front of the train station!"
Only after saying this did Wang Zhong realize: if Pavlov knew to call him at the train station, he must know what was going on in the city.
Pavlov: "You're probably thinking I knew the situation and found you at the train station because of that... but no, I just called the southeastern front and no one picked up, so I started dialing numbers randomly. Eventually, the supply depot commander said you were at the train station."
"Well, that's impressive," Wang Zhong replied perfunctorily*just then, several Prossenians appeared at the intersection across the square.
Vehicle 213 fired a shell straight at them, blasting two away*the rest immediately ducked back.
Then smoke grenades came flying.
Wang Zhong shouted over the radio: "Remember*keep firing only when smoke appears in your assigned sectors. No smoke, shoot at people!"
As soon as he finished talking, the tank group facing the intersection opened fire.
The anti-aircraft truck also turned its guns and gave the smoke a short burst.
The enemy made no further moves, and Wang Zhong, using the overhead view, confirmed that they had no intention of advancing behind the smoke, so he shouted, "Cease fire!"
When the gunfire stopped, the square fell into silence.
Only then did Wang Zhong remember he was still holding the phone: "Pavlov, the situation is extremely urgent. We can barely hold the enemy back and secure the train station and supply depot headquarters, but they might split off to launch a surprise attack on brigade HQ."
Pavlov: "I've already ordered the machine guns set up and the anti-aircraft guns leveled."
"That's good." Wang Zhong paused for a moment and said, "Don't die."
"You too, General."
The call was disconnected.
At the same time, the enemy began their assault. Mortar shells landed in the square, and smoke quickly spread outward from the impact points.
They're here!
Wang Zhong: "Wait for my signal to open fire!"
Soon, smoke had blanketed the entire square.
Although everyone had put on gas masks, this seemed to be just regular smoke. The enemy's mortars apparently weren't loaded with tear gas rounds.
Then, Wang Zhong clearly saw the enemy infantry appear.
Wang Zhong: "Open fire!"
All of Vehicle 422's machine guns opened fire simultaneously, and it also lobbed a high-explosive round at the pre-aimed spot.
Using the overhead view, Wang Zhong was satisfied to see that over a dozen Prossenian soldiers who had charged forward were instantly mowed down.
But more Prossenian soldiers surged in from every intersection on the south side of the square.
In response, they were met with a dense, seamless web of fire.
Within seconds, over fifty Prossenian soldiers had fallen, and the rest dropped to the ground, too scared to move.
Wang Zhong pulled over the anti-aircraft machine gun on top of the turret and used the external sight to precisely pick off enemies lying prone on the ground.
If anyone asked, he'd just say it was a lucky hit*no one would notice anything odd.
The enemy began crawling along the ground, but the fire web was so dense that even without Wang Zhong's pinpoint shots, stray bullets would kill them after crawling just a few dozen meters.
Was this the legendary technique of America that once massacred the Japanese?
It really works!
Wang Zhong was happily firing the machine gun when he ran out of bullets.
He quickly reloaded*remembering how last time the BT-7's anti-aircraft gun jammed and got the entire crew killed, Wang Zhong very carefully smoothed out the ammo belt before completing the reload.
Then he resumed firing immediately.
At last, the enemy gave up the assault and retreated into the buildings on the south side of the square.
Immediately afterward, the enemy's vehicle-mounted mortars began firing high-explosive rounds.
The shells kept landing on the northern side of the square.
Wang Zhong ducked back inside the tank, closed the hatch, and waited for the enemy's second wave.
During the next two hours, they repelled seven more Prossenian charges.
Finally, the enemy ran out of mortar smoke rounds, and as the smoke across the square gradually cleared, the two sides settled into a standoff across the open space.
Wang Zhong had very few accompanying infantry left. The tanks didn't dare to charge, and the enemy lacked effective anti-tank weapons, so they couldn't do anything about the tanks parked in the square.
The square became so quiet that crows descended from the sky to peck at the eyes of the dead.
Wang Zhong let out a small sigh of relief. At least the enemy's offensive had been halted**
Suddenly, he noticed enemy infantry crossing the main street of Loktov from the east side.
The stationed Protectorate Army opened fire!
Wang Zhong: "We're going to support them! All other tanks stay in position!"
Even before he gave the order, driver Belyakov had already turned Vehicle 422 in that direction.
Almost at that very moment, Wang Zhong heard a bugle call.
It sounded just like the ones he'd heard in movies describing the Napoleonic Wars*this had to be a cavalry charge bugle!
Cavalry?
Wang Zhong looked toward the northeast and saw a large number of cavalry, cloaked in black and riding fine horses, charging into the streets of Loktov from the north.
Like a tidal wave splitting into countless streams, they flowed into every street and alley of Loktov.
The galloping steeds left the Prossenians no time to react*or rather, they had never expected to face cavalry charges of this scale on a modern battlefield.
Though they were cavalry, this unit didn't wield sabers but carried pistols and submachine guns.
As they swept forward like a whirlwind, they also kept shooting nonstop.
One out of every three cavalrymen was a thrower, tossing grenades with precision through windows into enemy-held buildings.
Wang Zhong stared, dumbfounded, at the whole scene. Then he remembered what Pavlov had said two hours earlier: that the 63rd Army Group had dispatched a "rapid" unit to support Loktov.
So this is what they meant by "rapid"!
By now, after hours of brutal urban melee, the Prossenian infantry were utterly spent. The overwhelming cavalry charge shattered their final will to fight.
At that moment, four cavalry officers rode up to Wang Zhong's tank on tall chestnut horses. The lead General glanced at the white horse emblem on Wang Zhong's tank.
Then he saluted Wang Zhong: "The 7th Cavalry salutes you, Brigadier General Rokosov. Our 15,000 cavalry are sweeping through the entire city. You've done well."
Only then did Wang Zhong finally, truly breathe a long, deep sigh of relief.
When defending, fortifications, tactics, and firepower distribution are all important*but most important is a steady stream of reinforcements.
****
One hour after repelling the enemy attack, July 8th, 15:30 hours.
Wang Zhong directed Vehicle 422 back to the original reserve launch position where the enemy's attack had begun.
The surviving residents had already moved the fallen Protectorate Army soldiers to the main road, laying them side by side.
"Stop." At Wang Zhong's command, the tank came to a halt.
He climbed out of the turret, jumped to the ground, and approached a Protectorate Army soldier who was still tightly clutching a smoke grenade.
Wang Zhong remembered this young man. Before the enemy attack, he had ordered him to throw the smoke grenade onto the now-empty bunker as soon as the monks spotted enemy aircraft, to lure them into diving and bombing the site.
He hadn't expected Stukas wouldn't come*what came instead was a rolling barrage and infantry.
Wang Zhong removed his cap and bowed his head in silence before the young man.
A commander's single misjudgment can cost many lives. Wang Zhong was once again deeply aware of that truth.
Just then, a piercing air raid siren echoed throughout the city.
Wang Zhong looked up. Monk Petro probably couldn't reach him by phone, so he had reported the situation directly to the anti-air units.
Wang Zhong climbed back onto the tank. Standing atop it and looking up, he saw the enemy bomber formation on the horizon without even switching to overhead view.
After switching views, Wang Zhong saw there were as many as twenty Dao 215 bombers and thirty Stuka dive bombers!
Clearly, the enemy was determined to seize Loktov before the 63rd Army Group could arrive!
Wang Zhong exited the overhead view and shouted to everyone around, "Enemy aircraft incoming! Get to the cellars! Quickly, get to the cellars! Forget the bodies*leave them in the streets! Get inside!"
Alexander and the others also climbed out of the tank.
A door in a nearby building opened, and an old lady shouted, "Young men, come in! There's still space in my cellar!"
The crew of Vehicle 422 rushed inside instantly.
Wang Zhong took one last look at the formation in the sky.
In that moment, he spotted something above the bombers reflecting sunlight.
Planes!
Fifteen MiG-3s dropped their external fuel tanks and dove from high altitude toward the enemy formation.
In their first volley, five Dao 215s trailed smoke and crashed to the ground.
The formation looped around and dove into the bombers again.
Tracer rounds from the machine guns crisscrossed through the air.
The enemy clearly hadn't expected an organized interception by the Ant Air Force and hadn't sent any escort fighters*so the air battle quickly turned into a one-sided slaughter.
At that moment, the air raid sirens on the ground also stopped. People who had just been desperately running for the cellars now came back into the streets, watching the aerial battle like a fireworks show.
Every time an enemy plane was hit and spewed thick smoke, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
Some mischievous children even climbed onto rooftops just to get a better view of the spectacle.
The aerial battle soon approached its end.
The remaining enemy aircraft, having dropped their bombs outside the city, dived to low altitude in an attempt to escape at speed.
The MiG-3 interceptors pursued them out of the crowd's line of sight.
The entire scene finally quieted down.
Wang Zhong heard a child ask, "Mom, did we win?"
His mother replied, "We won. The enemy's planes were driven away."
The child asked again, "Then why didn't our planes come earlier? If they had, Grandpa and Grandma, and Grandpa and Grandma on Mom's side, wouldn't have died."
The woman simply held the child close in silence, gently stroking his hair.
Just then, the Ant fighter jets that had chased the enemy returned, flying in a V-formation over the city.
Wang Zhong recognized the lead plane*it was the same one that shot down the enemy high-altitude reconnaissance plane yesterday!
Switching to overhead view, he clearly saw the pilot take out a smoke tube, bite off the cap with his teeth, and ignite the fuse.
The smoke tube sprayed out colorful gas, tracing a long trail of colored smoke through the sky as the plane flew forward.
The other planes followed suit, and fifteen MiG-3s with rainbow trails streaked over the ruined streets of Loktov.
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers, tossing whatever they had in their hands up into the air.
At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly felt the sensation of victory.
At the same time, a child on the roof suddenly shouted down, "General, sir! There's an army coming from the northeast direction!"
Wang Zhong quickly looked toward the northeast direction, and sure enough, he saw a large infantry force marching along the main road in a four-column formation.
The main force of the 63rd Army Group had finally arrived.
The morning bonus update ends here. See you again during the regular evening update.
(End of Chapter)