bookrandom Chapter 1346 We'll definitely win
Chapter 1346 We'll definitely win
Second objective: Sweep through dense enemy infantry formations and supply lines!
Third objective: Repel any enemy reinforcements or attempts to encircle them! Tell them to unleash a barrage of incendiary and high-explosive bombs!
The order was swiftly relayed through messengers. The entire East Asian Allied Forces position, like a sophisticated war machine, began to operate silently.
The soldiers did a final check on their weapons, the gunners adjusted the angles of the mortars, and the engines of the armored vehicles roared as they warmed up.
After Han Da arranged his troops, the orders were confirmed and sent out.
When the time comes...
Ugh...!
The tranquility of the morning was shattered by a mournful horn call.
The Turkic heavy cavalry, who had been unable to contain themselves any longer, surged out from behind the hills like a flood bursting its banks!
Thousands of warhorses thundered, their hooves pounding the snow and kicking up clouds of snow. Clad in iron-plated leather armor and wielding sabers or, more advanced, mounted carbines, the cavalrymen roared as they charged in wedge formations toward the relatively weak left flank of the Slavic army's defenses!
"Enemy attack! The Turkic barbarians are charging in!"
The Slavic officers on the front lines screamed in terror. They had intended to launch a surprise attack, but to their utter surprise, the enemy had already attacked before they could even launch their own.
Ping Pong Pong!
In their Slavic camp, flintlock muskets fired haphazardly, sparse bullets clanging against the cavalry's armor or missing far off.
Several bronze cannons positioned at the front also hastily opened fire, solid iron balls whistling as they smashed into the charging cavalry ranks, bringing with them a shower of blood and the neighing of frightened horses. But more cavalrymen, like a steel torrent that felt no pain, had rushed to the front lines in an instant!
"For the Prince! For the Federation! Kill!"
The saber gleamed coldly and slashed down fiercely!
The roar of carbines firing at close range filled the air!
The barricades and earthen ramparts along the Slavic front were easily breached, and the hastily assembled infantry phalanxes were torn apart and trampled like paper under the ferocious charge of the cavalry. Screams, the clash of weapons, and the neighing of warhorses filled the air.
"Hold on! Hold on! Reserves! Move in!"
The Slavic left-wing commander jumped up and down in the rear, shouting and hastily diverting the reserves and some of the firepower originally positioned in the center to the left wing.
Han Da calmly observed the scene through his binoculars in the command post: "Excellent, the fish has taken the bait. Order the cavalry to retreat according to plan! Draw them out in pursuit!"
Those around him responsible for transmitting signals on the battlefield were constantly sending out various signals...
After the Turkic cavalry broke through the front lines, creating enough chaos and successfully drawing away a large number of enemy troops, they did not linger in battle. At the officers' whistles, they quickly disengaged like a tide and retreated back to their own positions, deliberately appearing disheveled.
"They're done for! Chase them! Don't let them get away!"
Those Slavic generals probably haven't fought a war in far too long...
They actually thought they had won, and some of the Slavic officers, blinded by their brief victory, fell for the trap and ordered their soldiers to chase after them, trying to expand their gains and move the front line forward.
Just as the Slavic army's left flank was thrown into disarray during the pursuit, and the center and right flanks were drawn away, leaving a large number of infantry exposed on the open snowfield...
Whoosh...! Whoosh...! Whoosh...!
Three red signal flares, trailing long plumes of flame, suddenly rose from behind the East Asian Allied Forces' positions and exploded against the leaden sky, like three bewitching flowers of death!
"Air Force! Launch an attack!"
Wei Wuji, who had been waiting at the makeshift airfield for a long time, pushed the control stick hard the moment he saw the signal flare!
Hum...!
Dozens of glider bombers painted with federal insignia.
These bombers were designed by the Tianji Academy based on the blueprints left by Xiao Ce.
Powered by a propeller engine, similar to early biplanes, but with a greater emphasis on payload and low-altitude performance, they roared as they took off one after another from the valley like a flock of eagles leaving their nest.
They quickly climbed to a height of several hundred meters, formed an attack formation, and hurtled towards the Slavic army's positions with a chilling whistling sound!
This air force is actually known only to people in a few countries.
The people of Slavic countries had only seen the first generation of air force in hot air balloons before, so they were fortunate.
Every time the Air Force's first battle is against them.
"What...what kind of monster is that?!"
The Slavic soldiers looked up in horror at the enormous, roaring "iron birds" they had never seen before.
It came in, blotting out the sky. Superstitious fear instantly gripped many people, some even kneeling down to pray.
"It's a dragon! It's the devil's mount!"
"Quick! Bows and arrows! Muskets! Shoot them down!"
Sparse arrows and flintlock bullets shot futilely into the sky, barely touching the edge of the plane.
Wei Wuji's calm voice rang out in the formation through the rudimentary onboard communicator!
"Attention all squadrons! Dive bombing at the designated targets!"
First Company, target: enemy artillery position at 12 o'clock!
Second Squadron, target: dense infantry formation and supply convoy at 3 o'clock!
Third Squadron, target: 9 o'clock position, central area suspected to be the command post! Climb immediately after dropping bombs, machine gunners freely sweeping ground targets! Move out!
"Roger that!"
"understand!"
The roar of the engines instantly turned sharp and piercing! The glider bomber group began to dive, and the bomb bays under the fuselage opened.
"bomb!"
With the bombardier's roar, one after another, dark aerial bombs, these were also specially designed high-explosive and napalm bombs!
These bombs, like the scythe of death, whistled off the fuselage and crashed down on the chaotic Slavic army below!
Boom! Boom boom boom! Rumble rumble...!!
Explosions! Deafening explosions instantly became the dominant theme of the battlefield!
The first to suffer were the dozens of old bronze cannons and a few imitation artillery positions that the Slavic army had painstakingly set up.
The high-explosive shells landed precisely within the artillery barrage, sending massive fireballs soaring into the sky...
The heavy cannon barrel was blown out of shape and thrown into the air, tearing the surrounding artillerymen and ammunition piles to shreds!
The secondary explosion triggered an even more violent explosion, instantly turning the entire artillery position into a burning graveyard of steel!
The Slavic army's greatest long-range threat was instantly eliminated!
Immediately afterwards, incendiary bombs rained down like hellfire on the exposed Slavic infantry groups and supply trains that were trying to pursue or regroup on the snow-covered plains.
The viscous napalm burned violently, emitting a pungent odor, and instantly engulfed a large area.
The soldiers screamed as they were engulfed in flames, rolling and howling on the snow, unable to extinguish the sticky fire covering their bodies. Supply wagons and haystacks burned fiercely, billowing thick smoke that blotted out the sun.
The most magnificent tents in the central area, which served as the command posts for their Slavic nation, were also given special attention.
The high-explosive bomb tore the tent, along with the officers and maps inside, to shreds and set it ablaze!
Shahar and his son Rhys were almost killed in the fire if their guards hadn't dragged them away at all costs. Even so, they were terrified, their magnificent fur coats charred black, and they were in a sorry state.
The planes did not leave immediately after dropping their bombs. As they climbed, the machine gunners at the nose and wings began to fire fiercely at the fleeing crowd below!
Da da da da da...
The dense hail of bullets was like the lash of death, carving lines of death across the snow and sweeping down fleeing soldiers in droves.
Dive, bomb, strafing, climb...
The air force squadron under Wei Wuji's command repeatedly carried out this efficient and ruthless killing cycle over the Slavic army.
The sky has completely become the domain of the East Asian Allied Forces!
In this first battle, the air force fully demonstrated their crucial role...
Although they had been conducting drills before, none of them had ever experienced this level of excitement or the emotional intensity they felt...
After several waves of air attacks, their front lines had been shattered.
"The general attack begins!"
Seeing that the air force had successfully destroyed the enemy's command system and main heavy firepower points, and created huge chaos, Han Da decisively gave the order!
Ugh...!
The even more powerful and stirring bugle call resounded through the sky!
The East Asian Federation ground forces, which had been poised for action, surged out from behind the hills like tigers released from their cages!
"kill!"
"For the Federation! For the Prince!"
On the left flank, the 2nd Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Battalion were tasked with the main attack.
Under the cover of heavy machine guns or small-caliber rapid-fire cannons, these armored vehicles, arranged in skirmish lines, launched an overwhelming assault on the gap torn open by the Turkic cavalry and further widened by the air force, treading on the land ravaged by the air force!
The crisp, dense firing sounds of the semi-automatic rifle specially developed by the Tianji Academy blended together, forming a deadly barrage.
Bullets with an effective range of over 200 meters felled Slavic soldiers who were still outside the range of flintlock muskets, bewildered or trying to organize resistance.
Snipers equipped with optical sights calmly picked off officers and soldiers attempting to operate heavy weapons.
"Heavy machine guns! Covert fire!"
The heavy machine gun positions roared with a terrifying sound like tearing through linen, their long tongues of fire spewing death, forming a crossfire that swept down entire swathes of Slavic soldiers like wheat being harvested.
The mortars fired shells with a "thump, thump, thump," accurately hitting the Slavic reserves and remaining firing positions that they were trying to assemble. Each explosion brought with it fragments of limbs and screams.
The Slavic soldiers' homemade guns and cannons appeared so pale and powerless in the face of the fierce, accurate, and long-range firepower of the East Asian Allied Forces.
Their flintlock muskets required a long reload time, and under the continuous fire of the enemy's semi-automatic rifles, they were often killed before they could fire a second shot.
The few rifles copied from the Tianji Academy were far inferior in terms of rate of fire and accuracy. Their rudimentary armored vehicles were like paper toys in front of the rapid-fire cannons of the Allied armored vehicles, easily penetrated, caught fire, and exploded.
Fear spread like a plague!
"We can't hold them off! Run!"
"Devils! They are steel devils!"
"Where is our Tsar? The Tsar has fled; he has abandoned us!"
Collapse, an irreversible collapse has occurred!
Starting from the left flank, which had been the primary target, the attack quickly spread to the entire Slavic army. The soldiers completely lost their will to fight, screaming in terror as they threw away their cumbersome weapons and discarded their cumbersome armor, turning and fleeing for their lives like headless flies.
Even the swords of the supervising officers couldn't stop this landslide-like rout. More than 10,000 elite Slavic troops, faced with the East Asian coalition's integrated air and ground tactics and overwhelming weaponry, became a flock of lambs to the slaughter.
"Cavalry! Charge! Expand our gains and drive away the fleeing troops!"
Han Da seized the opportunity and gave another order.
The Turkic heavy cavalry, which had already been reorganized, launched another attack!
This time, it wasn't a feint; it was a real reaping!
Iron hooves trampled through ice and snow, sabers gleamed coldly, and the fleeing Slavic soldiers were chased like sheep, driven further and further away, completely crushing any possibility of their regrouping.
On the snowfield, only countless burning wreckage, abandoned flags, scattered weapons, and a scene of carnage remained.
The battle began at dawn and lasted for less than three hours until the sun was high in the sky.
The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and the pungent smell of burning and blood lingered in the cold air...
Han Da stood on the high ground, his binoculars scanning the battlefield that had just witnessed a massacre.
Slavic corpses lay strewn across the snowfield, burning vehicles and supplies billowed black smoke, surviving wounded soldiers wailed in pools of blood, and prisoners were held in concentrated guard, their faces ashen and their eyes vacant. In comparison, the losses of the East Asian Allied Forces were negligible.
"Report to the Commander! Preliminary statistics show that we have killed, wounded, or captured approximately 8,000 enemy soldiers, and destroyed all of their heavy weapons and most of their supplies! Shahar and his son Riz escaped under the desperate protection of their guards, but their frontline troops, which were preparing to attack us, have been completely routed and are in no condition to fight again in the short term! Our casualties... are less than 500!"
An officer of staff ran over excitedly to report.
Han Da put down his binoculars, a disdainful smile on his face!
An advisor remarked, "How dare they? Do they overestimate their own strength, or are they completely unaware of our capabilities...?"
Han Da laughed and said, "Good! Well done! Send a telegram to the Prince: On the main battlefield, the first battle has been won! The Slavic main force has been severely damaged! Our army is consolidating its positions and mopping up the remaining enemy forces as planned! Tell the Prince that they can set off..."
Upon hearing the commotion, the communications soldier didn't waste any words and simply nodded.
Han Da then said, "Clean up the battlefield. Also, don't underestimate them. Although they are weak, we cannot be careless..."
"Everyone, hurry up and rest. We must press our advantage. This is all we have time for; we don't have much time, only fifteen days. Before their powerful reinforcements arrive, we must utterly destroy that Slavic nation..."
"That's what Han Da said," the staff officers nodded in agreement, and then they all began to continue planning on the map.
Han Da continued, "Tell Wei Wuji to prepare supplies; they are crucial. If their Slavic reinforcements arrive in the future, we'll need the air force to give us an advantage..."
The communications soldier standing nearby nodded after listening.