Chapter 1656: Chapter 1573: Relying on Brute Force
Feng Kezhi put down the binoculars he was holding and handed them to the orderly beside him. He looked at one of his division commanders and asked, “Can you capture the high ground across from us in 5 hours?”
“I can!” That division commander answered confidently, “If I can’t take it, I’ll bury myself there!”
“Very good! Have the artillery get ready, cover it with rockets, choose incendiary rounds… the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 9th Armored Division will provide cover… I’ll give you 5 hours, break through here and seize control of the highway under the high ground.” As Feng Kezhi spoke, he lifted his leg and walked out of the concealed observation post along the winding trench.
“General! Be careful.” The guard beside Feng Kezhi followed him and reminded him. They were less than a thousand meters from the enemy’s position, which was still very dangerous. If the enemy attacked with mortars, they could all be hit by shells at this distance.
“I know, I’ve already been very careful, and haven’t exposed myself…” Feng Kezhi smiled as he avoided the soldiers preparing for the next round of attacks on the position and explained to his guard.
Where he passed by, soldiers resting on the ground shot up to attention and saluted, and Feng Kezhi returned the salute. The rank difference was too great for anyone to shout “Long live His Majesty The Emperor,” so Feng Kezhi didn’t need to reply.
Before he came to the front line, he had carefully analyzed the strategic deployment intelligence of the Ice Cold Empire. Reconnaissance satellites provided detailed data analysis, including various details, and Feng Kezhi might know more about the troops under Moss’s command than Moss himself.
Feng Kezhi knew that the dozen or so large field airports that the Dwarfs built on the front line had been systematically destroyed, and these airports could no longer launch aircraft. The Dwarfs’ fighter jets were flying in from more distant airports and realistically had little fuel near the battle zone.
If not for the Air Force’s heavy ground support mission, the Tang Army might have already pushed the Dwarfs’ aircraft out of the battle zone’s airspace, relying on the advantage of flight range.
He also knew that the Dwarfs were desperately reinforcing their defense line, preparing to hold Eternal Winter City to the death, preventing the Tang Army from controlling the port and trying to use a shipping bottleneck to limit the Tang Army’s logistical supplies.
However, the Tang Army had already secured ample supplies, backed by a temporary port, and the Dwarfs were almost unaware of this situation.
He also knew that the Dwarf Empire’s 6th Group Army stationed on the southern border was moving north, advancing along several rail lines, and was currently nearing the Furnace Fortress line.
In another seven or eight days, they might engage, creating more trouble for the Tang Army’s assault. That’s why Feng Kezhi decided to deal a fatal blow to the Dwarfs now.
His main force of the 9th Group Army would open a gap on the flank, then the armored group would pave the way and encircle Eternal Winter City in one go, completely shattering the Dwarfs’ strategic intentions.
There was no finesse; he intended to tear through the Dwarf defenses with brute strength and smash the Ice Cold Empire’s will to resist with the heaviest punches, reducing the Dwarfs’ relied-upon defenses to dust.
A few minutes later, the new round of the Tang Army’s offensive began, catching the Dwarf defense forces off guard and bewildered by the overwhelming assault.
The defenders of the Ice Cold Empire always believed that the Tang Army actually had little supplies, thinking that the Tang Army was troubled by logistics and couldn’t sustain high-intensity warfare in the short term.
But now they realized they were wrong. A new troop appeared before them, and their code seemed never seen before!
Hundreds of shells fell onto the Dwarf positions. Before the Dwarf troops building trenches could react, they were almost buried alive by the sky-darkening dirt raised.
The coordination between the Tang Army’s artillery and infantry advances was very close. The artillery barrage hadn’t stopped, and yet the Tang Army’s advance was already underway.
The slow roll of the barrage suppressed the Dwarf troops on the positions so much that they couldn’t lift their heads. The follow-up reinforcements were cut off, unable to support the front-line troops getting beaten, and the Dwarf artillery behind didn’t even understand what was happening.
According to the previous plan, Thunderbolt Attack Aircraft flying from the front-line airport of the Tang Country began joining the battle on a large scale, displaying its immense suppressive power after missing the earlier landing operations.
These aircraft, unseen by the Dwarf troops, roared in the sky, like vultures, diving and strafing anything moving on the ground.
The Ice Cold Empire’s guns deployed on the position were destroyed and suppressed by these attack aircraft. More than half an hour after the shelling started, they were unable to gather strength to counterattack.
This meant that half an hour after the Tang Army launched their attack, they encountered no artillery counterattack from the Dwarf troops and broke through the first line of defense constructed by the Dwarfs without any pressure.
The battle wasn’t over yet, and just 20 minutes later, the Tang Army’s assault group appeared near the Dwarfs’ second line of defense. Numerous mechanized forces of the Tang Country rolled over them, causing the Dwarfs, who lacked anti-tank weapons, to collapse instantly.
The two lines of positions were lost in less than an hour, and the solid defensive region of the Ice Cold Empire’s 1st Corps was on the brink of being entirely taken by the Tang Army.
In the command post of the Dwarf Empire’s 1st Corps, all telephones were busy, with officers clutching the handsets, shouting constantly, trying to stop an unprecedented rout.
“Hello! Hello? Hold the line! Hold the line! You have 1,000 men! How can you not hold a single high ground!” An officer furiously ordered his subordinates to hold the line, but his troops were nearly annihilated by the artillery fire.
On the other end of the line, in a half-collapsed shelter, a Dwarf battalion commander of the solid defense area was holding his helmet with one hand, and the phone with the other, desperately explaining his predicament: “Sir! The Tang Army’s throwing all their shells onto my position! There’s explosions everywhere! Hello? Hello! Explosions everywhere!”
He wasn’t exaggerating, because the hill he was on was indeed engulfed by shells. Everywhere in sight was cratered, and as the Tang army’s shelling paused, tanks rolled over the loose soil to their front.
Dense gunfire was already coming from the trenches outside, suggesting that the Dwarf defense forces could not hold much longer. Although they swore to perish with the position, the Tang Army really didn’t give them the chance for a blood-soaked fight.
“Hello? Hello?” Soon, he found the phone line seemingly severed, and he could no longer hear his superior’s hysterical roar.