Chapter 868 An Unexpected Surprise Attack (1/2)

"fire!!"

The towering cannon barrels swallowed fiery snakes, and the deafening sound of the cannons resounded in the wilderness.

A total of 52 "Firebolt" self-propelled artillery pieces were divided into 5 artillery positions. They launched a full six rounds of salvos at the enemy artillery positions exposed by firing on the east bank of the river!

As a self-propelled artillery independently developed by the Southern Army, the "Fire Crossbow" is deeply loved by the Southern Army for its excellent support efficiency. Its popularity is second only to the 902mm giant cannon and shallow water heavy gunboats.

Although the entire vehicle still uses the chassis of the Conqueror series armor, whether it is its automatic loading system, fire control system, or even the thick and long 200 mm gun, they are all independently developed by the Southern Army according to its own battlefield needs. design.

Next to the five artillery positions, there are 12 air defense vehicles divided into three air defense positions on standby to guard against threats from the air.

Although there is a Bugle monitoring this airspace, considering that the Alliance is equipped with next-generation fighters in addition to propeller aircraft, the Legion still does not send anti-aircraft guns to the front line to help like it did when fighting the indigenous people.

On one of the artillery positions, a man wearing an officer's hat narrowed his eyes and looked at the roar of artillery fire not far away, with a cold smile on his lips.

His name is Tolan, he is the commander of the 360,000th support team, and has the military rank of commander.

A few minutes ago, the Alliance's artillery group hidden on the other side of the river could not resist launching an attack. He immediately responded to the enemy's coordinates according to Captain Wolff's instructions.

As expected, the 155mm artillery pieces belonging to the Alliance had been blown to pieces by their counter-fire.

The adjutant standing next to him chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyebrows.

"This round of shelling should be enough for the Alliance to drink a pot."

The moment the opponent launched an artillery bombardment, they could already confirm that their opponent was undoubtedly the Alliance.

Tolan smiled lightly.

"Don't talk about drinking one pot, I think two pots are enough."

Adjutant: "Hahaha!"

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, the communicator hanging on Tolan's shoulder suddenly vibrated.

Seeing the order from the headquarters, Tolan immediately stopped his joking expression and pressed the connect button.

Soon, the voice of the headquarters correspondent came.

"...There is a team of ten thousand people heading in your direction in the southeast. They are equipped with a certain number of vehicles. It is initially judged that they should be the first mechanized infantry division of Jingallan Port."

Tolan's brows raised slightly.

"Have they declared war on us?"

Correspondent: "No, obviously it's the same as the Alliance, they are volunteers again, you know... But don't worry, they can't touch your side. The 370,000th Team is advancing in their direction, I need you Provide support to the 370,000th team, and I will temporarily transfer your communication channel to them."

He also didn't take this unit seriously. The expression on Tolan's face was not panic at all. Instead, he was worried about his brothers on the front line.

The Bugle had just arrived in this area and had not yet lowered its anchor chain. He was worried that without their artillery cover, the First Thousand Men team crossing the river to explore the road would encounter an unexpected situation.

"Roger...where are our frontline troops?"

Correspondent: "They have started fighting with the alliance's frontline troops, and we have sent ground troops to reinforce them. The fighting distance is relatively close now, so you can't help them for the time being."

"learn."

Tolan frowned slightly as he put down the communicator, but a hidden worry lingered in his heart.

However, since the headquarters had given such instructions, he could only follow it and ordered the artillery groups to cease fire. He set up new shooting units based on the coordinates provided by the headquarters and aimed at the advance of the 1st Infantry Division of Jingallan Port. direction.

At this moment, Tolan and other officers and artillerymen did not notice that a hummingbird hovering in the sky had stared at them.

On a hillside less than two kilometers away, Guangfeng and Yeshi were lying behind a slope of soil. One person was responsible for operating the drone for observation, and the other was responsible for communicating with the large troops.

"...This is Ye Shi. We have confirmed the location of the enemy artillery unit and the coordinates have been updated on the map."

After a brief pause, the voice came from the communication channel again.

"Roger...can you find a way to lock down the enemy artillery team's headquarters?"

Ye Shi gave Kuangfeng a look, then fiddled with the zoom ratio of the VM screen with two fingers, and quickly locked on several guys who looked like officers.

Although there was nothing wrong with the tactics and strategy of this group of Wilantes, one or two of them were not ordinary arrogant, and it was as if they did not take their opponents seriously at all.

However, this also saved them time, and Ye Shi quickly reported the clues to Fang Chang.

"I'm looking... there are a few guys who look like officers, near the point C mark. Do you want me to find a way to get rid of them?"

Fang Chang replied calmly.

"No, just keep an eye on their vehicle so they don't run away."

Ye Shi: "Roger it!"

At the same time, in a field covered with weeds ten kilometers away, pitch-black exoskeletons were standing on the edge of the field.

Most of them were Alliance exoskeletons, and some were seized from the 340,000th, with a bandage wrapped around the arm as a friend-or-foe identification mark.

Although players of the Burning Legion look down upon the exoskeleton of the Legion, these captured equipment are still quite attractive to the soldiers of Borneo.

After withdrawing from Ridpur County, the Burning Corps, under the leadership of Lao Bai, quickly reunited with the 110,000 Borneo troops who also withdrew from Ridpur County, and took them to the Niuzhou area.

In order to improve the mobility efficiency of friendly forces, Burning Legion players also taught them the tactics of "manpower, cattle and horses".

That is, one person wears an exoskeleton and runs on the back of another teammate without an exoskeleton.

When the Alliance fought against the Bone Chewing Tribe a long time ago, they relied on this method to maneuver.

Although the marching speed cannot keep up with riding a bicycle or horseback, it is still better than running on two legs.

The only drawback is the energy consumption.

But if you follow the players, you don't have to worry about this.

Air Force brothers occasionally drop supplies, including solid-state hydrogen batteries.

Not only that, those power armors that use cold fusion technology are equivalent to mobile power banks. By plugging in a conversion connector, power can be input to the exoskeleton's fuel cell.

Standing next to Lao Bai, Captain Yokalvan, wearing a legion-standard exoskeleton, asked energetically with an eager expression on his face.

"When do we act?"

After exchanging shotguns for cannons, he couldn't wait to teach the legion a lesson.

Seeing this guy wearing legion equipment and performing the alliance's military salute, Lao Bai couldn't help but smile.

"Don't worry. The next step is for the air force brothers. We can just watch from the side and prepare for last hits."

Yokal was stunned for a moment.

"This time...won't you hand over their guns?"

Fang Chang shook his head.

"It's not necessary. We haven't studied that thing yet, and we won't open it even if it's seized."

Mainly because it has no research value.

According to the intelligence obtained by the alliance, that thing was a Conqueror tank with a turret modified, and its shooting accuracy and rate of fire were only average.

Yokal hesitated and suggested with an embarrassed look.

"Um...can you leave us a few self-propelled artillery pieces? Of course, we won't let you take risks. Just like before, our people will be responsible for grabbing them!"

It's not that he's greedy.

The main reason is that the power of that thing is so enviable, and after the beating, you can just lift up your pants and run away.

Although this thing is nothing rare for the Alliance, it is another matter for Borneo, which cannot even detect a few tractors.

Fang Chang looked at him strangely.

"Leave it to you, can you drive it?"

Yokal smiled, shook his head, and then nodded quickly.

"No! But we can learn!"

Lao Bai and Fang Chang looked at each other and exchanged glances.

"How about giving them a try?"

"also."

A guerrilla division with self-propelled artillery is quite exciting to think about.

He doesn't mind if his friendly troops pick up a little more trash, maybe it will work wonders in the next battle.

Thinking of this, Fang Chang no longer hesitated and immediately took out his VM and called Luo Yu.

"Luo Yu, the plan has changed. You go to support Bian and the others. Leave the artillery to us."

There was obvious noise in the communication channel. It was obvious that Luo Yu had taken off and was heading here.

"Copy that...are you okay?"

Fang Chang joked.

“Are you kidding me, do I have a problem?”

Luo Yu: "Haha! Brother Fang is awesome! I wish you good luck!"

Fang Chang grinned, hung up the communication, and then looked at Captain Yokalwan standing next to him like a student.

"We have communicated with the friendly forces. Destroy will be changed to capture. Let your people be ready. We plan to go ahead."

Yokal said quickly.

"Just leave it to us. You have already helped us so much, why do you have the nerve to trouble you again?"

Fang Chang raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't say such outlandish words. Driving away the invaders is the most important thing right now. We will take the lead in a moment, so you can just follow us. Remember to listen to our command, don't rush forward, and don't shrink back."

Fang Chang had no objection to these people wanting to come with him, but he still felt a little uneasy about leaving it completely to them.

Even though they have now replaced their guns with cannons and have more than 3,000 exoskeletons, automatic firepower and light anti-tank equipment, there is still a question mark as to whether they can be used effectively.

Looking at Captain Yokalwan who had memorized it carefully, Fang Chang continued with a thought in his heart.

"By the way, for the enemy's surrendered soldiers, remember to take them mainly as prisoners. We will help you remove the positioning equipment on the vehicle, but you still need their confession on how to operate the vehicle."

Yokal held up his chest and raised his head in a military salute.

"clear!"

Fang Chang nodded approvingly and then waved his hand.

"action!"

…

Horn airship.

John, who was sitting on the bridge, stared intently at the pontoon bridge on the river and the forest on the other side of the river. His brows suddenly furrowed slightly and he looked at the adjutant standing aside and asked.

"Did they take too long to get in?"

His adjutant was slightly startled, and then nodded solemnly.

"It's a bit...unusual."

Not just time.

So do people.

I saw the soldiers of the 360,000th Corps filling up the other side of the river one car after another. Gunfire crackled in the forest, but no one was seen pulling back from the front.

Logically speaking, this kind of tug-of-war should be left to the clones.

It was clear that the friendly forces had misjudged the size of the enemy forces in the forest and also overestimated their own combat effectiveness.

Martin, who was wearing a white coat, looked at John excitedly.

"Do you want to poison? The effect of this poison on the Weirant people is very small, so small that it can even be ignored. We can test it in actual combat."

John glanced at him and ignored the madman, then reached out and took off the communicator and turned to Captain Wulf.

"Captain Wolf, are you encountering some situation over there?"

The answer came quickly through the communication channel.

"No, just a few little grasshoppers, we took care of them easily."

"Yeah."

Although he didn't mean anything sarcastic, this sentence was misunderstood as something else when it came out of his mouth.

Woolf: "Are you questioning our fighting ability?"

Do you still need to question your combat effectiveness?

John sneered in his heart, but still said it in the gentlest tone possible.

"I didn't mean this, I'm just worried that you messed up Captain Ryan's plan. If we want to destroy Borneo within two months, we must send troops to Tiandu before the end of the month."

"Your worries are unnecessary. I will bear in mind every instruction of Captain Ryan." Woolf responded coldly.

The situation of his men was indeed not very optimistic, but it was far from being troublesome to him.

He has pushed five thousand-man troops forward. According to the reports from the front-line commanders, they have successfully reversed the situation and are launching a counterattack against the guerrillas in the forest.

Two 155mm artillery pieces have been captured so far. Those guys wearing gas masks have suffered heavy casualties after a wave of mindless charges. It won't take long for them to capture the hilltop closest to the river bank.

Although their casualties were also considerable, considering that the opposite side was Alliance volunteers, these casualties were acceptable.

There is no need to tell the Horn about these things, and it would be of no use even if told.

The airship's artillery was of no use at such a close distance, not to mention that the airship had not yet anchored.

They will only be ridiculed by the air force, even a group of indigenous guerrillas have been struggling for so long.

Woolf may not know his opponents well, but he knows his own character very well.

Listening to the sound of the communicator being hung up, John's brows twitched hard and he put the communicator back on his shoulder.

These ungrateful gangsters!

He expressed some kind words of concern, but in the end he was treated like a donkey.

"To be able to deal with the 36th 10,000-person mechanized infantry unit for so long, I'm afraid the opponent's combat effectiveness should not be underestimated." The adjutant standing aside said with a solemn expression.

Although he didn't pay attention to the other side at first, he had to pay attention to it now.

John sneered.

"Needless to say, it should not be underestimated... That should be the Death Corps that has made great achievements in Jinchuan Province. Our friendly forces have kicked the iron plate."

He had seen that iconic gas mask once before in Triumph.

That was obviously the Death Corps.

It is said that they were the elite troops of the Alliance. During the Battle of the Torch, they captured the hilltops that even the brothers of the Eastern Legion found difficult.

Is the Alliance crazy?

Are elite troops sent in wave after wave to this poor place, or are they really a group of clones?

John's face was gloomy, and there was always a bad feeling in his heart.

His concerns are not entirely tactical.

And also from the strategic level.

Why do you feel like you are being accused of being a "natural disaster" just like Torch?

This is not a good sign.

At this time, he did not notice that when Martin standing aside heard the name Death Corps, a fanatical expression suddenly appeared on his face.

"...The Death Corps...hehe...it's actually those guys."

He smiled strangely, his pupils glowed faintly, and his expression was as if he had seen prey.

John thought for a moment and raised his right hand.

He couldn't wait until the Army called for help before taking action, he had to be prepared before then.

"Get ready to drop the anchor chain—"

Before he finished speaking, a series of imperceptible ripples suddenly flashed across the radar.

Without missing the fleeting signal, the operator sitting in front of the control console immediately shouted.

"Enemy fighter group discovered!"

"Speed ​​approaching Mach 2!"

"The target has entered our northeast direction!"

"They are moving along the clouds, 10 of them in total!!"

"Damn! Their target is not us, but the ground!"

John was shocked and immediately ordered.

"Launch air-to-air missiles!"

"Yes!" The operator sitting in front of the console responded without hesitation, and then pressed the red button.

At the same time, a honeycomb-shaped missile cabin rose from the upper part of the airship, aiming at the airspace where the enemy was discovered.

"Ugh——!"

Accompanied by a rapid buzzing sound, ten air-to-air missiles shot out, dragging narrow tail flames and roaring towards the ten speeding fighter planes.

With the current shooting angle and relative speed, there is no one in ten thousand chance of avoiding those ten enemy planes!

The corner of John's mouth curled up into a pleasant smile, and he seemed to have seen the scrap metal turning into a fireball and the fireworks blooming in the air.

However, at this moment, something unexpected happened to everyone. After approaching the target airspace, the ten air-to-air missiles inexplicably flew into the air.

They did not find the aircraft approaching at supersonic speed. After searching for a while, they found a missile that was emitting radar ripples and speeding towards it.

"It's a decoy bomb!!"

The radar operator exclaimed, and John sitting next to him shrank his pupils sharply.

"Switch anti-aircraft guns! Quick!"

He issued the order quickly, but it was too late.

At the same time they discovered the anomaly, the speeding decoy bomb exploded instantly, releasing an electromagnetic pulse strike into the surrounding airspace.

The seeker was destroyed by the electromagnetic pulse, and the ten air-to-air missiles suddenly scurried in the air like blind flies, some fell to the ground, and some penetrated into the clouds.

At the same time, a genuine Thunder fighter suddenly emerged from the clouds.

There is only one!

"Oh shit!"

Realizing that he had been tricked, John cursed loudly and stood up from his chair suddenly.

His eyes were fixed on the plane outside the floor-to-ceiling window, and he wanted to poke it down with his eyes.

However, the plane ignored him and directly faced the ground and emptied the two rocket nests hanging under the wings.

Twenty-four ground-attack rockets carrying seekers came out, and as if they had eyes, they locked on the infantry fighting vehicle of the 360,000th team parked at the edge of the forest and sped away.

Everything happens in a split second.

The targeted target had no time to react before the top cover was blown open by the rockets falling from the sky.

"boom!!!"

The flames of the explosion were one after another at the edge of the forest, and nearly twenty infantry fighting vehicles were blown into scrap metal!

The firelight shone on the dull faces of the Vaillant soldiers squatting nearby with rifles in their hands, and their pupils were invariably written with a hint of disbelief and despair.

Without the fire support of vehicles, the advantage that the frontline troops of the 360,000th Army had finally gained was quickly lost at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It might even be better to say that those advantages were intentionally given to them by the other party.

The purpose is to lure them to move forward!

John's eyes widened, his pupils were filled with bloodshot eyes, and his clenched fists hit the armrest of the chair hard.

At the same time, Woolf's curse came from the communication channel.

"What do your anti-aircraft guns do for food? Why do planes burst into our faces!"

John knew he was in the wrong but he still yelled back.

"You blame us... where are your anti-aircraft guns?"

"We - damn it! I don't have time to talk nonsense with you!" Woolf was about to say something, but couldn't care less and hung up the communication in a hurry.

The Thunder fighter jet that broke into the battlefield did not stay in the nearby airspace. After the successful attack, it quickly left the battlefield and returned towards Tiandu.

At this time, the airship's anti-aircraft missiles had been loaded. However, facing the tail flame that was getting farther and farther away, John had no choice but to stare.

At the same time, as the previous round of air strikes ended, a new round of counterattack from the opposite side seemed to have begun.

The thick smoke and flickering firelight of the explosion are gradually changing from a curved sawtooth to an inward curve!

Like a big closed mouth!

They want to swallow up the five thousand-man troops trapped in the forest!

Even standing on the airship, John could clearly feel that the situation of the 360,000th team was taking a turn for the worse, from being evenly matched to being in danger.

In order to reinforce the friendly forces, Woolf pressed the last five thousand-man troops forward!

Including the more than 20 infantry fighting vehicles and nearly 60 armored personnel carriers he has left!

John was so anxious that he looked at the adjutant beside him and shouted.

"Have you dropped the anchor chain? Hurry up!"

The adjutant was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead, so he had no choice but to urge the department responsible for lowering the anchor.

Under his anxious urging, the anchor chain was quickly thrown from the airship, hitting the muddy plain heavily, kicking up billowing dust.

However, at this moment, another piece of news suddenly came.

"Report! A group of light infantry was found 27 kilometers southwest of us!"

"They are heading towards the artillery position of the 360,000th Regiment!"

"Southwest?!" John was startled and immediately looked at the map, his heart skipping a beat.

My butt was stolen!

How did these people get behind them under their surveillance? !

No--

There is another possibility.

This group of people did not come from the direction of Tiandu, but had been lurking in Ridbull County and chased them all the way to Niuzhou!

After cursing the Seventh Air Force in charge of the reconnaissance, John immediately informed Captain Wolff, who was commanding on the ground, of this information.

After a brief silence, a depressed voice came from the other side of the communication channel.

"Our friendly forces...the 370,000th Army hit the 1st Infantry Division of Jingallang Port, or to be precise, they hit the coalition forces of Jingallen Port and Huzhou and Baozhou."

"I don't know where they got hundreds of Conqueror 10s. Our friendly infantry fighting vehicles couldn't penetrate those things... and had to retreat towards the west."

John held his breath for a moment, and a trace of panic appeared on his originally calm expression.

This is undoubtedly the worst news!

At this moment, almost all the troops of the 360,000th Army were trapped on the other side of the river.

If the 370,000th unit cannot block the reinforcements from Borneo, then the 360,000th unit is very likely to be captured by the establishment!

Being surrounded by a group of indigenous people...

No matter how powerful the Bugle's firepower was, it was impossible to fire over the heads of friendly troops, or to beach itself on the ground to help.

The opponent adopted an extremely rogue tactic, which was to wait for them to get close and then attack them.

John's Adam's apple moved, and a trembling sound came out of his throat.

"……What should we do now?"

There was a brief silence on the other side of the communication channel, and finally a very reluctant but forced plea came.

"...Pull me up."

Faced with the deteriorating situation of the war, Woolf was helpless and could only lower his face and plead.

At least he couldn't be captured.

Otherwise, he will become the first captain of the legion to be captured in the entire war.

This is not only about his personal face, but also about the face of the Southern Army.

At the same time, this is also the only thing he can do for Captain Ryan and General Gulion at this moment...