At the outskirts of Tuz Town, six o'clock in the morning.
The first ray of sunlight had just pierced the eastern skyline, coloring the desert in a strange orange-red hue.
The piercing scream of artillery shells tore through the air, breaking the last tranquility before dawn.
"Artillery attack! Take cover!"
In the observation post on the high ground south of Feihate Town, Jiang Feng shouted into the radio while pressing his body tightly into the reinforced bunker.
Almost the next second, dense explosions erupted on the defensive positions on the town's outskirts.
The 1515 Ard counterattack began, and it was more intense than expected.
Ahd divided his main force into two routes: about six thousand troops launched a fierce assault on Tuz under heavy artillery cover, under his direct command; another four thousand charged at Feihate led by his second-in-command. This veteran clearly understood the principle of quick action in warfare—
He must break through these two nails with absolute superior force before Song Heping could further consolidate defenses.
And dozens of kiloters away, on the eastern side of Tuz Town, the Persian Holy City Brigade's defense line was also enduring the first wave of impact.
Naxin raised his binoculars, looking outward from the command post at the town's highest point.
Wherever his sight reached, sand and dust were rolling. Dozens of modified pickup trucks dragged dust behind them, spreading out like a wolf pack in a charge.
Each vehicle mounted heavy machine guns or rocket launchers, and the beds were packed with black figures waving rifles.
"Anti-tank team in position! Machine gun fire covering areas B3 to B5!"
Naxin's voice spread through the defense line via radio: "Mortar squad, coordinates X-7, Y-12, three rounds rapid fire!"
Less than thirty seconds after the order was given, the Brigade's 120-mm heavy mortars emitted a muffled roar.
The shells traced arcs and accurately landed in the center of the 1515 Ard's charging formation. Amidst the sand and debris thrown by the explosion, at least two pickup trucks were directly hit, turning into burning fireballs.
But the wave of charge only slightly stalled, before surging forth with more frenzy.
"For Allah! Charge!"
The fanatic slogans even drowned out the clamor of the gunfire.
1515 infantry began disembarking, advancing in scattered formation under the cover of machine gun fire.
Their tactics were simple and brutal.
Using quantity to overwhelm quality, using fanaticism to make up for a lack of training.
Naxin saw that at least twenty 1515 militants had ford a "human bomb" assault squad—
These people wrapped themselves in explosives and charged madly at the Brigade's front line under their comrades' cover.
The Brigade's machine gunners shot desperately, knocking down more than ten of them, yet several reached within thirty ters of the defense line.
"Rocket launcher!" Naxin ordered loudly.
Boom!
Boom!
Two RPG-7 rockets whistled out, blasting the last few suicide attackers to pieces.
But the shockwave of the explosion also caused soldiers on the frontline trench to have bleeding ears and noses.
"Commander, pressure on east side B7 position is too high, request reinforcents!" ca the anxious voice of the frontline company commander over the radio.
Naxin glanced at the map: "Withdraw a platoon from reserves to support B7. Tell everyone to hold the positions!"
The sa fierce battle played out in Feihate Town.
The "Musician" rcenary Camp, commanded by Jiang Feng, adopted a different defensive strategy.
They did not construct continuous frontline defenses like the Brigade but rather dispersed forces across a dozen fortified support points around the town's outskirts that were well camouflaged.
Each support point was a firepower trap, equipped with crossfire machine guns, snipers, and anti-tank missiles.
When the first wave of the 1515 Ard's charge approached to 500 ters, Jiang Feng finally gave the fire command.
"All units, free hunt. Prioritize enemy command vehicles and technical equipnt."
The command was succinct and ruthless.
The next second, the outskirts of Feihate Town turned into a giant death trap.
Precise bullets fired from different directions simultaneously knocked down the lead dozen or so 1515 militants.
Anti-tank missiles whistled out, blowing apart two ard pickups attempting to close in.
The 1515 deputy commander clearly hadn't anticipated encountering such accurate and dispersed firepower.
The charging formation beca chaotic.
"Drone has located enemy mortar positions, coordinates marked."
The voice of the rear operator ca through Jiang Feng's earpiece.
"Artillery battery, three-round rapid fire, release!"
The rcenary Camp's four 120-mm self-propelled mortars began to roar.
The shells precisely covered the makeshift artillery positions the 1515 had set up two kiloters away, destroying at least three 82-mm mortars in explosions.
Yet the nurical advantage of the 1515 Ard was still evident.
After the first wave of attack faltered, they swiftly adjusted tactics, beginning to use mortars and rockets to cover fire on the rcenaries' support points, while dispatching small units trying to infiltrate the gaps in the defenses.
The battle entered a brutal seesaw phase.
Inside the Tuz Town command post, Ahd stared at the map spread out on the makeshift table, his face gloomy.
The battle had been ongoing for five hours.
His troops have made progress in both areas—
The Holy City Brigade's line of defense on the outskirts of Tuz has been compressed by a third, and Feihate has also taken two peripheral support points—but the cost has far exceeded expectations.
In the direction of Tuz alone, casualties have exceeded four hundred, and more than twenty vehicles and heavy weapons have been lost.
The Holy City Brigade's resistance is fearfully tenacious; their soldiers seem to know no fear, often fighting until the last man before abandoning their positions.
"Commander, the third wave of attack troops is ready."
The staff cautiously said, "Shall we proceed as planned?"
"Give …"
Ahd was about to nod when urgent footsteps suddenly sounded outside the command vehicle.
The communications officer almost burst through the door, face pale.
"Commander! Urgent ssage from Titrick!"
Ahd suddenly turned his head.
"What's the matter?!"
"Titrick is suffering a fierce attack from the Kurd Ard!" The communications officer reported the situation at the fastest speed.
Ahd's pupils contracted, his fingers gripping the paper so tightly that the knuckles turned white.
The ssage was brief but alarming—
A large-scale assault was encountered on the western outskirts of Titrick, the attackers were the Kurd Ard with a force estimated at over five thousand, well-equipped. Two points of the outer line have been broken, the defending forces are suffering severe casualties, requesting urgent reinforcents.
"Impossible!"
Ahd roared, throwing the ssage hard on the ground, "Kurd Ard? They were devastated by us in the 'Balance Beam' operation! They should be licking their wounds in Elbil, how can they appear in Titrick?!"
The communications officer nervously added: "The front line confird… it's not the Kurd Ard from Elbil, it's the Abu You Brigade from the direction of Kirkuk; the flags and identification match, and… and their equipnt is much better now, with new armored vehicles and artillery…"
The command vehicle fell into dead silence.
Staff exchanged glances, seeing panic in each other's eyes.
Ahd's mind was racing.
Five thousand regular Kurd troops…
Well-equipped…
Suddenly appearing in Titrick…
His gaze fell on the map, drawing a line from Titrick to Kirkuk, then to Bayji.
"Song… He… Ping…"
Ahd gritted out the na through clenched teeth, each syllable dripping with hatred, "It's him! It has to be him!"
Everything beca clear.
From the surprise attacks on Tuz and Feihate, to the current assault on Titrick, it was all part of a ticulously designed grand strategy.
Song Heping anticipated his reinforcents to Tuz and Feihate, so he preemptively mobilized the Abu You Brigade from Kirkuk—
"Careless, I was too careless…"
Ahd chuckled bitterly, his voice full of unwillingness and anger.
His situation now is extrely precarious.
If he doesn't reinforce Titrick, and his base falls, his foundation in northern Iraq will be completely destroyed.
Even if he captures Tuz and Feihate, or by luck, takes Hulmatu, his troops will beco rootless duckweed, trapped in the northern triangle.
Then Song Heping only needs to block the Siria passage, cutting off his supplies and reinforcents, and within three months, his army will crumble without a fight.
But if he reinforces…
The victory at hand must be abandoned.
Already so much blood has been shed for Tuz and Feihate, to withdraw now?
"Commander, a decision must be made."
The senior staff officer quietly reminded, "The defending troops at Titrick are less than five thousand, if the Abu You Brigade indeed has five thousand elites, they won't hold for forty-eight hours…"
Ahd closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently.
A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes, now filled with cold determination.
"Transmit my orders. All troops cease the attack and imdiately regroup and withdraw."
"Order the troops in the direction of Tuz and Feihate to alternately cover the retreat, prioritize the evacuation of the wounded and heavy equipnt."
"Tell the defenders at Titrick to hold for another twenty-four hours, reinforcents will arrive."
The hand of the staff officer recording the order trembled slightly: "Commander, what about the troops heading towards Hulmatu…"
"Withdraw as well!" Ahd growled, "All withdraw to the vicinity of Titrick! We must secure the foundation before making further plans!"
The orders were quickly conveyed.
When the 1515 Ard mbers fighting fiercely on the front line received the withdrawal order, many couldn't believe their ears.
They paid such a heavy price, on the verge of breaking through the enemy's defenses, and now they had to give up?
But military orders are as immutable as mountains.
At two in the afternoon, the fierce assault that had lasted for eight hours abruptly halted.
The 1515 Ard began an organized disengagent, retreating to the rear. They took most of the wounded and any vehicles still operable, but left behind over a hundred bodies and more than twenty destroyed armored pickups scattered on the scorched earth.
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