Orders issued, the "Liberation Forces" militia positions operated like a precise war machine, instantly running at high speed.
On the undulating hillside positions, soldiers quickly moved into their respective battle stations.
The machine gunners placed boxes of bullet chains within reach, while the anti-tank missile team uncovered the camouflage netting, calibrating the sights on the launchers.
The howitzer and mortar units rapidly calculated firing distances, extracting heavy shells from ammunition boxes and arranging them beside the artillery positions.
All fortifications underwent final reinforcent, sandbags piled higher, and footsteps in the trenches were hurried yet orderly.
Song Heping stood before the command post screen, arms folded, calmly observing the images transmitted by the drones.
The enemy forces on both the east and west were like giant pincers opening, attempting to encircle his flanks along Hulmatu's outskirts.
"Eastern group, about five hundred vehicles, mainly ard pickups, mixed with a small number of trucks equipped with heavy machine guns, estimated troops over five thousand, moving toward 'Vulture Ridge' behind our third battalion's position."
"Western group, similar in scale, about four hundred and eighty vehicles, targeting our fifth battalion's defensive flank at 'Sawtooth River Valley.'
The drone operator calmly reported.
"Artillery command."
Song Heping connected to the artillery command post.
"Targets, enemy groups maneuvering on east and west roads. Calculate their likely assembly areas and attack launch positions. The 122-howitzer group covers the east side, focus on Sawtooth River Valley direction with mortars and 155 heavy artillery. Give a three-round ammunition fire mission prepped! I want to peel off a layer of their skin before they launch their charge!"
"Understood! Coordinates received, data calculated… set up complete! Artillery group, ready—"
The artillery commander's rough voice echoed in the artillery channel.
At this mont, deep rumbling suddenly ca from the front direction of Hulmatu!
Through the binoculars, dense infantry could be seen, under the firepower cover of dozens of ard pickups, surging out of the city ruins like a tide, pressing toward the "Liberation Forces'" frontline positions!
Frontline feint attack, combined with flank main attack, Basmo was executing standard tactics.
But perhaps he didn't know that all actions hadn't escaped Song Heping's eyes, as drones in the sky closely monitored every move of the 1515 Ard assault units.
"The front's moving too!" Jiang Feng exclaid.
"Why panic?"
Song Heping's tone remained unchanged, "We hold favorable terrain, they're just vast in numbers. Tell the first and second battalions in the front to steady the position, greet them with machine guns and mortars, if suicide bomb trucks are spotted, focus anti-tank weapons, don't let them get too close. Prioritize the east and west flanks!"
Just as his words fell, a chilling whistling sound echoed across the sky!
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—boom boom boom!!!"
The 122 howitzers stationed at rear positions spoke first.
Massive fireballs spewed from their thick barrels, shells like invitations from the Grim Reaper, tearing through the sky with destructive power, crashing fiercely onto a relatively flat area of Gobi about three kiloters outside 'Vulture Ridge' on the east side — precisely where the eastern enemy forces intended to unfold formation and launch their assault!
Boom!
Boom boom boom!!!
The earth shook!
Enormous fireballs rose continuously, black smoke mixed with sand soaring into the clouds.
The power of a 155mm high-explosive shell is terrifying, every impact resembling a small earthquake, within a blast radius of dozens of ters, person and vehicle alike pulverized!
The shockwave, like an invisible giant hamr, flipped nearby pickups like toys, tearing them apart! Shattered tires, twisted gun barrels, and dismbered human bodies, tossed in the smoke everywhere.
Almost simultaneously, the mortars joined this symphony of death in greater numbers.
Shells fell densely like hail over the enemy's east and west roads. Especially the west towards 'Sawtooth River Valley,' with its relatively complex terrain where 1515's vehicles attempted to use low hills and dry riverbeds for cover. But mortar shells, with near-vertical angles of descent as if guided by eyes, struck precisely into these natural "concealnts," sending the enemy and their vehicles behind the hills off to paradise.
The level of bombardnt far exceeded the previous strike on the probing company.
The entire outskirts area on the east and west sides of Hulmatu was instantly engulfed in explosions and fire, as if Hell's gate had opened here.
The drone transmitted footage shook violently, revealing only sheets of fla and billowing smoke, with the previously aggressive convoys suddenly in tatters, plunged into extre chaos.
"Well done!"
Soone in the command post couldn't help but shout.
This round of exceptionally intense artillery preparation evidently greatly disrupted 1515's offensive rhythm and severely damaged their morale.
However, the 1515 militants' madness was fully displayed at this mont.
Despite suffering heavy casualties, despite scattered formations, under the pressure of rear supervisory squads and religious zeal, the remaining vehicles and swarming infantry continued like crazed locusts, screaming "Allahu Akbar!" rushing out from the smoke, desperately launching a death charge towards the "Liberation Forces'" eastern and western flank positions!
"The enemy is advancing! Distance fifteen hundred ters!"
"Machine guns ready!"
"Anti-tank team, lock on high-value targets!"
On the positions, commanders at all levels shouted hoarsely.
User Comments
0 comments from readers