Munitions Empire-Chapter 1158 - 1078 who are you

Apart from the Shen Army’s Armored Corps attacking Leping finding the situation increasingly challenging, the situation on the beachhead was also turning unfavorable for the Shen Army.

Because the artillery of the 9th Group Army of the Great Tang Empire began to land en masse and make their presence felt: not just the high-powered 155mm caliber howitzers, but also a large number of rocket artillery.

This very thing was the final straw that broke the camel’s back for the Shen Army’s defenses! After several rocket artillery launched their ammunition onto the Shen Army’s defensive lines, they realized they might not hold until reinforcements arrived.

The dense artillery fire instantly blanketed a sector of the Shen Army’s defensive positions, it was as if the Tang Army’s firepower had suddenly doubled or even tripled.

Facing such firepower, the remaining Shen Army troops really had no choice but to continue to retreat, withdrawing to new defensive lines.

But as they continued to fall back, the defensive fortifications they could rely on became more slovenly: the Shen Army had never planned to retreat to this position, nor did they have the capability to build three identical defensive lines.

In fact, only the first line of defense was made of reinforced concrete, the second line had only a few similarly robust points, and the third line was basically just trenches and some rows bunkers made of wood.

The repeatedly retreating Shen Army lost a lot of defensive fortifications, which left them with little room to maneuver, and after losing a sufficient number of trenches and bunkers, they actually had no way to continue fighting the Tang Army.

Joking, if just digging a few holes in the ground could allow them to field battle against the Tang Army, how could the Tang Army still be called a powerful force in the world?

The remains of the Shen Army troops that had just moved to the third line of defense hadn’t even had the chance to properly rest before they discovered something serious.

A type of tank they had never seen before, with a turret shaped like a pot lid, appeared in front of them: this was the second type of similar tank they had encountered, the first being the large-bodied 63 amphibious tank they had seen on the beach.

And now, the tank appearing before them was not tall, even somewhat small. But its long barrel spelled its danger.

When the soldiers of Mirage Country fired at the Tang Army’s new tank with their proud 76mm anti-aircraft gun converted into an anti-tank gun, they found that the shell only left an inconspicuous mark on the Tang Army’s tank.

The tank, as if unharmed, continued to advance, and the accompanying Tang Army also showed the Mirage Country troops what well-trained meant.

They quickly spread out and laid out their firepower behind the tank; light machine guns swiftly suppressed the Shen Army on the position, while they effortlessly took out what was somewhat threatening 76mm anti-tank gun with their mortars.

The precision of these Tang Army’s mortars terrified the Shen Army stationed in the trenches. They usually needed to fire two or three rounds to find the correct angle and parameters, while the Tang Army needed only one shell to nearly allow the remaining mortars to find the firing parameters.

What made the Mirage Country troops even more terrified was that the Tang Army’s 155mm howitzers deployed on the beach maintained continuous suppression of the Mirage Country’s defending troops without advancing, thanks to the range advantage.

The enemy could fire over 15 kilometers forward, with scarily powerful shells, while the Shen Army’s artillery, authorized by Shireck years ago, had a pitiful range of just over 10 kilometers.

In the artillery duel, the Shen Army was completely at a disadvantage: most of their artillery positions were either destroyed by the Great Tang Empire Fleet’s naval guns or taken out by Stuka carrier-based aircraft... and after they retreated to further inland, they were schooled by the landing 155 artillery and rocket artillery.

Only now did the Shen Army realize the cruelty of the world; their weapons and equipment were completely dominated and crushed by those of the Great Tang Empire, leaving them utterly powerless to fight back.

Certain characteristics of modern warfare began to show, with multiple aspects including sea, air, land, and even intelligence, reconnaissance, and command all contributing to the overall combat effectiveness of the troops. When one aspect failed, the whole closed loop collapsed. This is why the appearance of the 20 Hime broke the defense of the Lighthouse Country. freewebnσvel.cøm

The Mirage Country now also faced a similar issue: there was a problem with their highly anticipated Zero Fighter, directly leading to their loss of air superiority.

The loss of air superiority directly affected their Naval and Army combat decisions, which then led to their battlefield situation starting to collapse.

"Tang Army tanks! Fire! Fire!" A Mirage Country officer waved his command saber, ordering his soldiers to fire at the Type 59 main battle tank right in front of them.

Countless bullets hit the tank’s armor, sparks flying everywhere! But the tank, as if nothing had happened, continued to advance, rolling over a trench that was already in ruins.

It leisurely rotated its turret and then blasted a round near a Shen Army machine gun position, smoke billowing through the air, and the Shen Army’s defense line immediately quieted down considerably.

On another armored vehicle, the vehicle commander operated the shielded roof-mounted machine gun, continuously firing at the Shen Army’s positions.

Under the cover of this armored vehicle, Tang Army Soldiers advanced to a suitable distance, starting to launch gun grenades and devastating the Shen Army positions.

For a moment, the fully suppressed Shen Army could only cower in trenches, waiting for death as the Tang Army launched their charge.

"For His Majesty The Emperor! Advance!" the Commander of the Tang Army shouted loudly, countless soldiers crying out as they rose from the uneven ground and surged towards the Shen Army defenses.

They were met with little resistance and quickly reached near the Shen Army trenches, dozens of hand grenades were thrown before and behind the defense lines. Then the explosions overwhelmed the Shen Army trenches, while Tang Army tanks had already rolled over these positions.

"Tatatata!" Standing at the edge of the trench, Tang Army Soldiers commanded a high position and started strafing into the trench pits of the Shen Army.

Most of these Shen Army soldiers only had bolt-action rifles, and though they returned fire, their firepower was quickly suppressed. Despite a few Tang Army Soldiers being hit, this reckless combat behavior didn’t stop the Tang Army’s advancement.

"Hello? Hello! General Shengwu Zhong! General Shengwu…? I need support! If the tanks don’t support soon, the Tang Army will break through my line! Hello? Hello!" Grasping the phone, an officer from the Mirage Country cried desperately, pleading for reinforcements.

The troops that could reinforce him were, at this very moment, tied up in a struggle with Tang paratroopers near Leping. Even in the most optimistic scenario, they couldn’t break through to help within an hour.

Unfortunately, not every troop is Great Tang Paratroopers; at least the Shen Army troops positioned on the beach couldn’t compare in fighting capability.

They had no anti-tank rocket launchers, no advanced tactics, and with only a few anti-tank bombs mounted on long poles, they could do nothing but watch as Tang Army’s Type 59 tanks strutted across their positions.

As the Shen Army officer was desperately calling for reinforcements, outside in the trench, Tang Army Soldiers had already eliminated the stationed Shen Army Soldiers with a round of strafing.

A few Tang Army Soldiers, armed with assault rifles, dashed forward; the Shen Country Soldiers in the trench were slaughtered, leaving their gear behind. A Shen Army Guard shouted outside the door before being dispatched by a hand grenade.

The explosion blew off the doors of the headquarters, and amidst the swirling smoke, the officer from Mirage Country drew his pistol. But before he could aim, a shoe sole kicked him directly in the face.

A Tang Army Soldier retracted his foot, then kicked away the dropped pistol, looking disdainfully at the Mirage Country officer on the ground whose teeth had been knocked out: "Come over and see, I’ve caught a high-ranking official!"

"A high-ranking official?" Noticing the other was trying to get up, another Tang Army Soldier came over and gave the Shen Army officer another kick in the stomach, incapacitating him completely: "Indeed."

"Hello? Hello! Are you still there? Who is speaking?" An urgent voice of Shengwu Zhong came through the undiscarded phone handset. This was an infantry division’s headquarters of the Shen Army, an important command post on the beach defense line.

"Hello? Who are you?" Picking up the phone handset, a soldier from the 19th Infantry Division of the Tang Army casually asked.

"Who are you? Where is Shenwu Bian? Let him take the phone!" On the other side of the line, Shengwu Zhong asked with his last shred of hope.

"Shenwu Bian? Who is Shenwu Bian? Are you talking about the one lying on the ground crying? He can’t take the phone anymore. I’m Hao Laotan; this place has been occupied by the Tang Empire Army!" The soldier responded clearly, proudly announcing his name.

The next second, the line was disconnected...

Shengwu Zhong knew that the beach defenses were pretty much doomed, and now he had to consider how to handle the situation where the Tang Army had completely landed.

If the Mirage Country Navy could defeat the Tang landing fleet tonight, he felt confident he could trap the landed Tang forces on South Island.

But if the Navy was defeated, he had to consider what would happen if South Island was lost: the Shen Army’s capital for battle was based on the Tang Army’s need to cross the sea. Without that, why would the Shen Army even fight the Great Tang?

While Shengwu Zhong pondered these issues, the Tang Army’s Type 59 tanks had already crossed the third line of defense and charged towards the deeper areas.

The battlefield was littered with abandoned artillery positions, discarded ammunition boxes, and some Shen Army bunkers still putting up a fight.

However, the Tang Army tank units didn’t even glance back, charging urgently onto the highway, rolling over fields, and pushing north.