Chapter 131: Battle of Three Pools
After receiving news of Morgan and the others’ escape via telegram, Pobov realized that the journey to Three Pools Town was unlikely to be peaceful.
To be honest, he felt a bit frustrated.
His troops had stayed in Three Pools Town for over two days, and yet he failed to notice that it was a bandit nest!
Looking back on it now, there were clues that could have been seen.
But at the time, his mind was entirely focused on planning future actions, thinking about which camps he could secure through intimidation and where he might need to resort to military force.
Simply put, his lack of attention to the supposedly secure Three Pools Town led to this major oversight.
It was good news that seven clerks from the Department of Civil Affairs had managed to escape, and the intelligence they brought back particularly piqued his interest.
In the wasteland, raiders were always a persistent menace.
In this operation, he chose to relocate everyone except for the essential agricultural population.
Not only did Revival City have a significant labor shortage, but as Gu Hang had previously pointed out, there was also another major issue: they simply didn’t have the resources to maintain these low-value camps.
These camps weren’t completely worthless, but their input-to-output ratio was severely imbalanced.
Maintaining them would require heavy input of resources and support for industry, essentially akin to “poverty alleviation.”
But beyond poverty alleviation, military forces would also be necessary to ensure protection, otherwise, a slightly prosperous camp would quickly become an easy target.
Raiders and wasteland monsters alike posed major threats in the wastelands.
Currently, in addition to consolidating the various camps, Pobov had an additional mission: bandit suppression.
The three remaining agricultural camps needed a stable environment to expand production.
This area was also a key trade route from Revival City to Garbage Town.
Garbage Town served as an essential industrial base for Revival City, providing critical raw materials, and it was also dependent on this route for grain imports.
According to the Governor’s plans, every power in the area would soon fly the flag of the new Alliance, and that naturally included the raider factions.
Initially, Pobov hadn’t realized how severe the bandit problem was here; he intended to finish organizing the survivor settlements first before dealing with the bandits.
But now, it seemed the bandit suppression had to be prioritized.
Likewise, Pobov judged that these raiders would not have the courage to confront his forces head-on.
If they had, they would have attacked when he initially entered Three Pools Town without much defense.
But since they had ultimately chosen rebellion, they must have some form of backing.
City ruins, guerilla tactics… Pobov quickly assessed the situation and made a judgment: he couldn’t allow these raiders to slip away.
A few thousand raiders scattering into the ruins and launching guerrilla strikes along the trade route would indeed pose a serious problem.
The bandit suppression would turn into a prolonged anti-guerrilla campaign.
He made a swift decision.
“All forces, advance immediately! Head to Three Pools Town!”
Along with his main force advancing at full speed, he issued orders to several other detached companies.
As he instructed, the two fastest mechanized infantry companies would move to cut off Three Pools Town’s rear.
The ‘Walker V’ infantry fighting vehicles had excellent off-road capabilities, allowing them to maintain a decent pace without relying on roads.
He ordered the two company commanders to block Three Pools Town’s retreat routes.
If the raiders were already withdrawing, they were to attack immediately to delay their retreat until the main force could encircle them.
Two motorized infantry companies then advanced quickly along two other roadways, loaded with soldiers on trucks rushing toward Three Pools Town.
Pobov himself led the headquarters along the main road toward Three Pools Town.
The tank battalion and artillery battalion might move slower, but they were the most solid units.
A day later, as Pobov’s main force was still two days away from Three Pools Town, they received two reports.
Combat had already begun.
The mechanized infantry companies he had sent around the rear had arrived just in time.
They each intercepted a withdrawing band of raiders and immediately launched an attack.
The enemy evidently lacked an understanding of the mechanized forces’ rapid mobility; this group, trudging along with ox-drawn carts, was caught off guard.
The ‘Walker V’ vehicles proved invaluable in the open field.
The 40mm autocannons unleashed a relentless barrage, and the raiders’ ox carts and various cargo used as makeshift cover offered little protection.
The automatic grenade launchers mounted on the vehicles, replacing the standard co-axial machine guns, behaved like rapid-fire mini-grenade launchers, bombarding the enemy.
Dismounted infantry accompanied the infantry fighting vehicles, primarily handling cleanup.
The enemy had some cannons.
While the small mountain guns weren’t large, they could have caused damage to the infantry fighting vehicles if they’d managed to fire a few direct hits.
Unfortunately for them, these guns never got the chance to be properly deployed before being destroyed by the autocannons and grenade launchers.
With the mountain guns neutralized, their only remaining effective weapons against the fighting vehicles were direct-fire rocket launchers.
But beyond 200 meters, accuracy became a serious issue.
Even if they hit, they often lacked the firepower to penetrate the ‘Walker’s’ side armor unless they could close within a few dozen meters, ideally with two or three shooters launching simultaneously.
But how feasible was this?
A few brave souls tried to approach with rocket launchers, but in the open plain with little cover, they didn’t stand a chance.
The ‘Walker’s’ battlefield observation system allowed the vehicle crew to detect most threats in advance, letting them fire an autocannon or grenade barrage that quickly obliterated the would-be attackers.
Even if a few rocket teams managed to get through the vehicle’s observation, it was no big issue.
The infantry’s role was precisely to handle such threats.
The T5-grade soldiers excelled in all aspects of military skills.
The raiders’ rockets were matched with superior firepower and precision on the soldiers’ end.
A few rounds or a well-aimed rocket from the soldiers would quickly eliminate any enemy team that got close.
After the raiders’ more courageous fighters fell, the remaining, less bold individuals finally couldn’t hold out and scattered in complete disarray, becoming helpless targets on the open field for the soldiers.
Realistically, even if they had fought to the last man, what could they do?
Caught in the open field without cover or heavy weapons, they were little more than sitting ducks under a mechanized assault.
Some managed to escape in the ensuing chaos, but with no supplies or gear, their chances of survival or regrouping were slim.
…
If the mechanized infantry companies’ flawless surprise attack was a great victory, the two motorized companies advancing along the roads toward Three Pools Town encountered minor losses, ending in a draw.
These companies lacked heavy weaponry and armored vehicles.
Motorized infantry relied on Iron Bull transports and Hunter motorcycles.
But their opponents were prepared.
According to reports, the raiders had expected Pobov’s forces to arrive.
They laid mines and bombs along the roads, constructed barriers, and set ambushes on either side of the road, planning to strike when the convoy passed.
These tactics were effective.
However, they hadn’t expected the soldiers they faced to be this elite.
As one company advanced, a group of Hunter motorcycles scouted ahead and spotted the enemy’s blockade early, reporting back immediately.
The recon squad also detected the ambushers on either side, and transports quickly dropped troops to engage them.
The mines and bombs destroyed two trucks, but further casualties were avoided as engineers began clearing the mines and established defensive positions.
The raiders, who had expected an easy ambush, were completely bewildered.
Something wasn’t right!
In the past, they’d used similar tactics with devastating results.
Ambushed trade convoys, even those with strong guards, often panicked under such attacks, sometimes even disintegrating.
If they didn’t scatter, the most they could do was establish a defensive line behind their supplies.
Here, the soldiers not only held their ground but launched a fierce counterattack!