Thunder Warrior Saves the World

Page 36

However, even your elite troops couldn't withstand these three blows for long. Although they've now been reduced to two blows, they're still far beyond the capabilities of the current Belken force. If one word could describe this battle, it would undoubtedly be "utterly crushing."

The 7th Brigade's plan was not to advance along Highway 76, break through the Belken's numerous blockades, and then victoriously join forces with the Kingdom's army. After breaking through the position held by Kirian Zabi, the 7th Brigade did not spend time turning this victory from "defeat" to "annihilation." After quickly passing through this pass and getting out of the Belken's sight, it began to turn and use its mobility advantage to cut off the rear.

The Kingdom's counter-offensive has also begun.

After Swarthburg fell into the control of the Allied forces, the Kingdom's army's communication capabilities were restored. The efficiency of intelligence and command transmission was dramatically improved compared to the previous reliance on wired telephones and manpower.

Along Highway 76 alone, the Kingdom of Elgia had already deployed three infantry divisions on the offensive positions. Behind these more than 30,000 infantrymen was a massive artillery massacre, comprising over fifty heavy artillery pieces of 100mm caliber or larger and over one hundred and fifty 75mm field guns. Further back, an infantry division and a cavalry division served as reserves. Lacking a powerful air force to clear the way, the Kingdom's army employed a more traditional, yet equally efficient, method of paving the way.

The artillery bombardment easily destroyed the fortifications built of wood and sandbags. The high temperature and repeated explosions left the ground cratered. When the roar of the artillery stopped and the sharp whistle sounded, the Ergia infantry roared, picked up their rifles with bayonets, and charged at the enemy.

The Belken heavy firepower, which had survived the long-range attacks, also began to make its voice heard. Heavy machine guns, 75mm field guns, and even heavy artillery of 100mm or more were all deadly to these infantrymen. The infantrymen at the forefront fell almost instantly, even the assault soldiers wearing bulletproof plate armor. But the infantry that followed filled the gap almost instantly.

The Belken's firepower was not insignificant, but it couldn't stop the warriors who had overcome death. The distance between the two sides was shrinking second by second, and finally, like waves crashing against rocks, the two armies of different countries, different ethnicities, and different goals collided!

After the bolt-action rifle magazines were emptied, the soldiers didn't even have time to grab the magazines on their belts to reload. They hoped to use the bayonets at the front of their rifles to carve out a new path. The few submachine guns issued to the rank-and-file officers became deadly weapons in close combat, using their high rate of fire to suppress the enemy while the rest advanced. The Belken, of course, wouldn't just sit in the trenches waiting for the enemy to get close. If they were suppressed from the front, they would flank from the side. The Ergia had submachine guns, and so did they—and even more!

The previously slow but resolute advance of the battle line came to a halt, and a heavy infantry assault team fully equipped by Amelia began to enter the battlefield. The infantry armor, composed of aramid fibers and ballistic ceramics, was superior to traditional plate armor, effectively protecting against submachine guns and regular rifles even at close range. The assault rifles wielded by these heavy infantrymen were far more lethal than the submachine guns carried by the Belken.

So the Belken people started to escalate the stakes.

The long-absent tank unit reappeared on the flank of the battlefield, attempting to cut off the reinforcements of the Elgin forces. After the infantry's interception attempt failed, the surviving communications soldier resolutely called for artillery fire. The tank unit, having suffered considerable losses in the shelling, was forced to withdraw from the battlefield. Although their brief appearance did not accomplish their initial mission, it still inflicted heavy casualties on the Elgin infantry. The positions captured by the assault team quickly changed hands again due to the lack of timely follow-up. Some assault squads were even surrounded and annihilated by the Belken after their reinforcements were wiped out.

After going around in circles, it seemed that both sides had returned to the starting point.

Volume 1: Chapter 198 (Chapter 183) The Flames of Liberation (4)

Although the advance of the U.S. Army of the Kingdom of Ergia has slowed down, this is actually in line with the initial predictions of Ergia and the 7th Brigade.

There is a significant gap in equipment levels between the two sides. Although the Elgins received external aid, it's not a magic bullet that works instantly. The Elgins need more time to effectively convert the equipment provided by Amelia into their own combat power. If the Belken are truly so easily defeated, then the Elgins' previous defeats would be a joke.

However, compared to the offensive by Elgia, the 7th Brigade's mobile infiltration achieved very good results.

Over the past five hours, Lu Wu had divided the 7th Brigade into five smaller combat groups, simultaneously launching attacks on five positions in Belken. They slipped through gaps between the positions, ambushed the Belken from the direction of friendly forces, and, with the aid of radio jamming, some Belken soldiers even thought that their friendly forces had been wiped out and that they were surrounded, even firing ammunition at friendly hilltops for over ten minutes—in reality, the 7th Brigade had already withdrawn from the battle, and they were now fighting their own allies.

Of course, such tricks cannot succeed every time. After the 7th Brigade failed once and failed to provoke friendly fire five times, the Belken people quickly realized what had happened.

Now, the Belken are like Tom, whose tail has been stepped on, their hatred almost at its peak—at least two cavalry divisions, a motorized infantry division, and a tank brigade are relentlessly pursuing them (it's not that the Belken are unwilling to use more troops for pursuit; they have to reserve some mobile forces to deal with the counterattack from the Fabandi direction—they can proactively withdraw from some occupied areas to gain more time, but this doesn't mean they can give up everything. If they were to return all the hard-won outskirts of Fabandi in order to annihilate this army behind them, the marshal commanding the Fabandi operation would probably be suspended and sent back to the capital for investigation the next day. Therefore, they must reserve a considerable amount of rapid mobile forces to deal with the enemy from the Fabandi direction. In fact, they were only able to assemble these three divisions because they proactively gave up some positions and liberated some rapid reaction forces). The troops that were already wary of the 7th Brigade stabbing them in the back have also set up interceptions at the possible flanking positions of the 7th Brigade, determined to cut down Lu Wu.

Fourth, given the current situation of the 7th Brigade, the Belken people's idea does not seem entirely impossible.

8. To draw as much hatred as possible from the Belken, Lu Wu has not yet regrouped his scattered combat groups, which are still moving around aimlessly. Unfortunately, one of the "accident vehicles" in the brigade headquarters' combat group has broken down again. This time, it wasn't another rear-end collision; the engine had completely failed. In this situation, they had no way to move this 43-ton behemoth that was no longer mobile. All they could do was completely destroy the equipment that couldn't be removed and taken away, distribute the remaining ammunition, pour gasoline on the critical parts, and finally burn the 16-year-old main battle tank to death with a single white phosphorus bomb. This T-72AV, numbered 810, became the first heavy equipment lost by the 7th Brigade after joining the Ergia-Belken War.

After all, the Belken people were still following behind them, playing childish games with them like "I run, you chase; you stop, I stop." Due to various objective factors, they couldn't learn from that army's method of digging a big pit, stepping in heavy equipment, and then digging it out after liberation.

The thick smoke generated by the burning of the white phosphorus bombs acted like a beacon, continuously attracting the Belken people closer. Therefore, the 7th Brigade laid some traps next to the wreckage of the T-72, which could be considered as some burial goods for the veteran vehicle No. 810.

In short, the 7th Brigade headquarters is currently at its most vulnerable moment in history. If the Belken can seize the opportunity to surround the 7th Brigade before it can regroup, and concentrate their superior forces to launch an all-out attack, they might actually be able to defeat this isolated force.

But Lu Wu didn't want to give them that chance.

Now that they've garnered enough hatred, it's time to move on to the next part of their plan.

The five dispersed combat groups, following the pre-arranged plan, began to turn towards the designated rendezvous point—a place with flat terrain, open views, and close to Highway 76, perfect for them to deliver a heavy blow to Belken, and then smoothly turn onto Highway 76 to return to Fabandi.

So, Marshal Belken, who was in the command post, quickly noticed some clues from the enemy's movements. Well, "clues" might not be the right word. If the 7th Brigade had previously been playing coy with the Belkens, like a high-level green tea bitch trying to hook an innocent virgin, now they were waving a handkerchief at the Belkens from the roadside and calling out, "Come on, grandpa, come play with me!"

The intelligence relayed from various directions quickly pieced together a clear line in the commander-in-chief's mind—clearly, this was a declaration of war from the enemy. No, it was more of a provocation than a declaration of war. After all, he now had a general idea of ​​the size of the army that had sneaked up behind him. Although this detachment possessed extremely fierce firepower, their personnel strength could not exceed that of a division; otherwise, given their current tactics, the daily consumption of supplies and provisions would be astronomical, and they could not possibly have established such a massive supply line right under his nose.

The most likely explanation is that this detachment may possess a new type of artillery with extremely high mobility. Its mobility method may even be completely different from the towed artillery of the past. And like some elite units in the country, the infantry's mobility is basically achieved by trucks. Only in this way can they move like the wind and put the enemy on the defensive at every turn.

However, a fair and square decisive battle is exactly what he wants right now. If this detachment continues with its previous fighting style, he might not be able to deal with it. After all, even if he can catch up with their cavalry and motorized infantry divisions, he might not be able to easily wipe out such an enemy with superhuman firepower. But if it's a straightforward decisive battle, he's not afraid at all.

Reason 9 is also quite simple: since the enemy's route is already clear, he can naturally prepare the battlefield in advance before the enemy. Looking at the map, the decisive battleground chosen by the enemy is closer to his own troops. In any case, with 50,000 against 10,000, the advantage is on his side!

……

I made it, Rua

Volume 1: Chapter 199 (Chapter 184) The Flames of Liberation (5)

It was 10:00 AM on October 4th. Seven hours had passed since the counter-offensive, codenamed "Garuda," began.

Within seven hours, the Elgin army successfully pushed the front line westward, reaching a maximum distance of 6 kilometers. While this was partly due to the Belken's voluntary withdrawal and the fact that some of the recaptured areas were not built-up areas, the Elgin army still inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and recaptured a portion of the area near the inner city.

In the Swarburg direction, the 7th Brigade's regrouping was halfway complete—three combat groups had already rejoined the main force, while the remaining two, having strayed into a swamp, not only missed the regrouping deadline but also lost a T-72 tank. The Egyptian guide leading this combat group was wounded during the attack; a close-range grenade, though failing to destroy the command vehicle, knocked the Egyptian unconscious by hitting his head on the windshield. He thus unwittingly entered a swamp, and the lead three T-72s all became stuck. The latter two were eventually pulled out, but the lead tank was beyond repair; they didn't even have time to unload the shells. It's unknown whether, decades later, anyone will ever retrieve that tank from the swamp.

The Amelia Army encountered an unexpected setback, but the Belken Army did not. Colonel Schmidt's 32nd Infantry Division arrived at the battlefield on time, even ahead of schedule—at the ruins of a village called Wiegel, located beside Highway 76. Wiegel was originally a medium-sized village with 257 households. After the outbreak of war, due to the rapid advance of the Belken army, the village fell into Belken control before the residents could begin evacuation. Like other villages, Wiegel suffered looting and massacre by the Belken. Most of the surviving villagers were sent to labor camps for hard labor. To cover up the massacre and looting, the Belken who occupied the village set it on fire, almost physically erasing it. Today, only the ruins of the church in the center of the village remain, telling the story of what once happened.

To the south of Wiegel village lies an unnamed hill, 143 meters above sea level, upon which sits an open-pit coal mine, a vital source of income for the village. From the factory buildings adjacent to the mine, one can see the entire village of Wiegel below. It was precisely this factory on the unnamed hill that the Belken people first seized control of before invading Wiegel village.

Such a strategic point was naturally not overlooked by the 32nd Division. Colonel Schmidt's 328th Regiment's mission was to hold this unnamed hill marked as Hill 143 on the map and prevent the enemy from launching an attack on Wiegel village from this position. Although not many artillery pieces could be deployed on Hill 143, even just a few 105mm howitzers would be enough to turn the people of Wiegel village to smithereens.

Although Hill 143 is not very high, it covers a large area, with a huge open-pit mine in the center, nearly 150 meters in diameter. Surrounding it are supporting facilities such as rough processing plants, warehouses, and workers' dormitories, sufficient for the entire 328th Regiment to be stationed on Hill 143.

Despite this, Schmidt did not deploy the entire regiment on Hill 143. This open-pit coal mine was connected to the warehouse and the village of Wiegol by a self-built road. The roughly processed coal would be loaded onto trucks and transported to Fabandi via Wiegol. This road had now also become a supply route for the 328th Regiment, and defensive forces had to be stationed along it to guard against sabotage by the Ergia.

The 105mm heavy artillery of the 328th Regiment's artillery battalion was deployed in the open-pit mine on Hill 143—of course, the pre-aiming direction was definitely not the village of Wieger below.

However, what Colonel Schmidt didn't know was that every move of the 328th Regiment here was being watched closely from the sky. A two-man reconnaissance team from the reconnaissance company had already reached the vicinity of Hill 143; the UAV operator had launched the UAV and was hiding behind camouflaged cover, "counting the bunkers."

The drone flies high enough to completely conceal its silhouette and noise, and its optical zoom lens allows the UAV operator to clearly see the ground situation at this altitude.

"Are you done? We have to go." After the ten-man patrol passed by their hiding place and disappeared completely, the green-skinned driver of the UAV operator whispered a reminder, "This is the fourth patrol already!"

"Almost done, not much left." The UAV operator remained focused on the screen, his thumbs constantly making fine adjustments on the joysticks. Despite his busy schedule, he still managed to spare some time to answer his colleague's questions.

"You said that ten minutes ago." The green-skinned driver didn't look at the drone operator; he continued to vigilantly observe his surroundings, but his mouth didn't stop.

"Relax, we're not that easy to spot. Look, none of the four Belken patrols have found us." The UAV operator was completely unconcerned about the promise he had made, an attitude that immediately drew a glare from the green-skinned driver.

"Done!" The last firing point had been marked, and the UAV operator carefully controlled the drone to leave the airspace directly above the 328th Regiment, slowly descending. The UAV operator had just stuffed the meritorious drone back into his backpack, and before he could even put his bag on, he heard voices about ten meters away:

"It should be around here, that strange thing that flew down from the sky."

At this, the expressions on the faces of the two scouts both turned grim.

"You go first, I'll catch up after I've dealt with this." The green-skinned driver made the decision immediately. He waved his hand and squatted down to deal with any signs of activity at their hiding place. If the Belken discovered that enemy scouts had successfully obtained intelligence about their position, they might readjust the positions of their firing points. Every additional concealed firing point would increase the probability of casualties for the brothers during the attack.

"I'll only wait five minutes." There were no sentimental words, no talk of life and death; the UAV operator simply left those words, slung his large backpack containing the UAV and tablet over his shoulder, and ran. Their reconnaissance vehicle was parked a kilometer away; it would take several minutes to run there.

Volume 1, Chapter 200: Chapter 185 The Flames of Liberation (6)

The green-skinned driver quickly cleaned up any traces of human activity on the ground. He knew he was short on time, but he didn't let that interfere with his work.

The two of them had been here for so long, and everywhere there were branches that they had broken and bent during their activities. The soil in the hiding pit where they had been lying was warm from prolonged contact with their bodies, and there were boot prints left by their military boots on the soil that were not covered by fallen leaves. Some crayfish might not notice these traces, but in the eyes of a well-trained scout and jungle tracking expert, they were the most conspicuous signals.

Once he had dealt with all the traces that might reveal their location, the search team was already quite close, and they were even within visual range.

The search team consisted of five people, advancing through the jungle in a very unorthodox and disorganized formation. Most of them seemed unenthusiastic; some kept kicking at branches, stones, and other debris on the ground, and one even carried a gun on his back, clearly not feeling like he was on the front lines. However, it was precisely because of this that the green-skinned driver had room to maneuver.

He used the crayfish's blind spots to maneuver and slowly escape their search range. Although the crayfish's negligence allowed the driver to escape the danger zone safely at top speed, when he returned to where the reconnaissance vehicle had been parked, the vehicle and the UAV operator were gone. He checked his watch; more than twenty minutes had passed since he and the UAV operator separated. It was impossible for the UAV operator to risk exposure by waiting for him for so long. Although the information about the firing point had been transmitted back to the command post "at the rear" via data link, in reality, the subjective judgments of the frontline reconnaissance personnel and some minor details not mentioned in the written report were all things that the commander could use to aid in decision-making.

"Damn Belken men..." Now he had to run back on his own two feet. The green-skinned driver was clearly furious with the culprit who had caused this situation, and he gave the middle finger in the direction of the 328th Regiment's artillery position. After cleaning up the traces left by the reconnaissance vehicle, the little green man disappeared completely into the jungle...

Meanwhile, in the command vehicle "at the rear," all sorts of intelligence had been processed and gathered. The staff of the 7th Brigade were highly competent, and there were no delays, which was a welcome occurrence. Of course, this was also related to the relatively small size of the enemy blocking their way.

According to intelligence reports from various reconnaissance teams, the 328th Regiment's overt deployment on Hill 143 had been thoroughly investigated, and their tactical arrangements had also come to light. Simply put, the Belken intended to exploit the unique terrain of Hill 143 to draw their main force into the water, while their main force, positioned near Wigel village, would then launch a surprise attack. Why were the Belken so confident in this plan—that the 328th Regiment wouldn't be annihilated on Hill 143? The reason is quite simple: Hill 143 is a hilly area.

Having been thoroughly outmaneuvered by the 7th Brigade so many times, they had gained a basic understanding of the brigade's troop composition: the Amelia's volunteer force was primarily composed of tank units, and the Amelia tanks possessed an absolute technological advantage over the Belken tanks, being inferior in firepower, mobility, and protection. Based on the Belken's actual combat experience with their tank units over this period, they had also figured out some of the characteristics of their tanks.

While armored vehicles with powerful firepower are undoubtedly a strong counter to infantry, this counter is not absolute and depends on the environment. For example, in mountainous terrain or urban areas, the cannons of vehicles are limited by their field of vision, resulting in a very limited attack range. Various buildings and rugged terrain make it difficult for vehicles to take advantage of their speed to break through, while infantry thrives in such environments. They can quickly approach vehicles under the cover of various buildings and by taking advantage of the vehicles' blind spots, easily destroying them by attacking their weak points.

Besides Hill 143 and the Vigir village area, there are actually some towns or more rugged terrains near Highway 76 that would be more suitable for the Belken to create an asymmetric combat environment. Unfortunately, these places are relatively far from both sides, and the 7th Brigade would not be foolish enough to follow the Belken to an environment that is unfavorable to them.

至于为什么第7旅肯定会啃143高地这个不利于战车部队最大程度发挥作用的地方呢？那自然就是因为从威格尔村进入76号公路是第7旅最优的选择了。只要第7旅走威格尔村，那就必须要啃143高地，不然就有走到一半被143高地上的328团实施炮击、居高临下进行冲击的可能。当一个师在正面战场与数倍于己的敌人陷入交战中，背后又杀来一支敌军，极其容易陷入被包围的不利局面。

Lu Wu naturally had a way to deal with the Belken people's plan.

Hill 143 was indeed unsuitable for tank assaults, but that wouldn't be a problem for the airborne troops. A single airstrike on Hill 143 would allow Major Miller's airborne battalion to easily control the entire hill, enabling the 7th Brigade to safely pass through and advance towards Wieger village. Once the entire 7th Brigade was on Highway 76, the two airborne companies could then rejoin their helicopters and withdraw from the battlefield.

After understanding Lu Wu's plan, the Elgins observing from inside the command vehicle all wore thoughtful expressions. The Belken had pushed their tanks onto the battlefield, showing them that war wasn't just about two groups of soldiers crouching in trenches and throwing excrement at each other; the advent of aircraft had revolutionized their reconnaissance concepts. But before they could even grasp these two concepts, the Amelia presented them with an even more advanced three-dimensional warfare concept—tanks were no longer just for infantry fortifications; through the air, infantry could directly bypass enemy lines, appearing behind enemy lines and even at key points; only by controlling the air could they possibly gain the upper hand in future wars…

Amelia also needs to establish its own air force.

As Sugi watched the Belken people painstakingly set up their defensive lines and meticulously designed battle plans on Hill 143, Princess Rosa clearly realized that these plans were ultimately destined to become useless scraps of paper.

Volume 1: Chapter 201 (Chapter 186) Are you selling this plane?

After Wu and Lu Wu completed their specific tactical arrangements, Princess Rosa seized the opportunity to approach them. Without resorting to any roundabout tactics or diplomatic jargon, she stated her objective without reservation: "We are very interested in your aircraft. Would you be willing to sell this equipment and help us build our own air force?"

"What kind of aircraft are you interested in?" Lu Wu asked knowingly. Ever since he had actually handled an air force in front of the Ergia, he knew that this day would come sooner or later.

"If possible, we hope to purchase a variety of different types." Princess Rosa breathed a sigh of relief when Lu Wu didn't immediately block her off from the procurement process. Even junk of the Belken people's caliber would have extremely high value in the field of military reconnaissance, and Amelia's products also possess considerable ground attack capabilities and troop deployment capabilities. This kind of new weapon can be said to have changed the nature of warfare; exaggerating a bit, calling it a strategic weapon wouldn't be too far off. She didn't know about others, but if the Kingdom of Elgia possessed such weaponry, it would definitely not be something they could easily sell.

"May I ask why you suddenly want to purchase aircraft?" Lu Wu frowned and explained, "If it's the Belkens, you don't need to worry. Amelia's air force can guarantee that Belken bombers won't fly over Fabanti."

Bomber? The sudden appearance of this unfamiliar word made Princess Rosa frown slightly as well. "What is a bomber?"

"An aircraft that can carry a large number of bombs and drop them from the air to the ground or sea."

"Those are the planes that flew over our heads before?" Princess Rosa quickly associated the term with the Su-7 and Il-2 aircraft. She had observed many actual battles in the command post and knew very well that these two very different-looking aircraft had perfectly cleared a lot of obstacles for the ground troops' advance.

“That’s not quite right. That’s an attack aircraft, and it’s quite different from a bomber.” Lu Wu raised his right hand, making a five-finger gesture, and explained, “In terms of size, bombers are generally larger than attack aircraft, can carry more bombs, have a longer range, and their higher flight altitude helps them evade some fighter interceptions and ground-based air defense fire. Attack aircraft, on the other hand, are more like support firepower for ground troops. Therefore, they need higher speed, the ability to dive-bomb to accurately destroy ground-based firing points, and a certain level of armor protection to withstand small-caliber ground-based air defense fire…”

His witty remarks, lengthy discourse, and the new terminology he introduced successfully made Princess Rosa briefly struggle with the concepts of the two types of aircraft. However, she quickly snapped out of her discussion about the differences in their roles and rather abruptly steered the conversation back to purchasing the planes: "The Kingdom of Elgia is a vast country, and its people have a duty to protect their land. Moreover, the threat posed by the Belken fighters is not limited to Fabandi. We must build a sufficiently strong air force to deter others from invading us again."

Seeing that his attempt to steer the conversation off-topic had failed, Lu Wu couldn't help but purse his lips. However, the movement was so subtle that only Yelena, who had been with him for so many years, noticed the man's displeasure. Fortunately, Yelena had undergone rigorous training, otherwise she would most likely have burst out laughing.

"Unfortunately, I am not permitted to sell equipment of this level to foreign countries," Lu Wu said, shrugging helplessly. To be honest, Princess Rosa's request was quite reasonable, given that Belken's air force had indeed caused them considerable trouble. However, the reluctance to sell fighter jets to the Elgins stemmed not only from the fact that even a museum-worthy attack aircraft like the Il-2 could effectively threaten his infantry, but also from the Elgins' history of acting as transport commanders (armored vehicles supplied to Elgins were once used by rebels to attack the royal palace), a fact that required caution. Another, deeper reason was that the cost of building an air force far exceeded that of an army.

Airplanes are extremely sophisticated and fragile weapons, completely different from tanks. The mother base has limited production capacity, and it doesn't intend to allocate precious resources to producing interwar aircraft with few instruments, meaning the barrier to entry for flying becomes very high. In just a few weeks, they can train several illiterate peasants who have never handled a gun into a tank crew capable of operating a tank, turning the turret, and aiming and firing—but in that same time, they probably can't even train a "firefly" pilot who can understand all the instruments and buttons, fly the plane, and crash it into a target. Furthermore, armored troops on the ground can call for help from friendly forces and logistics to repair their vehicles if they encounter malfunctions, but if a pilot encounters a malfunction in the air, he has to face it alone.

Furthermore, training pilots inevitably requires drawing at least three or four pilots from combat units to serve as instructors. For a considerable period, this means a reduction of three or four combat aircraft available for deployment at the front. More importantly, the shortage of personnel disrupts established sortie plans, leading to more frequent sorties for pilots. This results in both personnel and aircraft struggling to receive adequate rest and maintenance, significantly reducing combat efficiency and greatly increasing the probability of accidents. The frequent aircraft crashes in the Russo-Ukrainian War were largely due to pilots and ground crew not receiving adequate rest.

Moreover, the Ergia are ordinary people, not aliens from the Antonian world. They can't just "duang" and suddenly know how to fly a plane. They need to prepare a lot of pilot training equipment—such as the most basic trainer aircraft. But unlike a certain Nordic environmental organization or an East Asian island nation's civil servants, the Soviet technology tree doesn't have trainer aircraft to fly with them. They have to build it by hand. Converting a trainer aircraft is much more difficult than building a self-propelled artillery piece by hand; the two are on completely different levels of technical difficulty.

In short, training the Elgins' air force was a very troublesome matter, and could even affect the situation on the front lines to some extent, which was why Lu Wu didn't want to take on this task. However, they had already provided the Elgins with a considerable amount of military aid, and if they were to firmly refuse their request, it might create resentment and affect future cooperation. After all, human nature is unpredictable, and the saying "a small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment" is not new. Therefore, he initially thought of using a bunch of new terms to confuse them and put the matter aside.

Volume 1: Chapter 202 (VDV 1)

Hearing Lu Wu's excuse, Princess Rosa frowned slightly. She hadn't been unaware of the possibility of rejection, but rejections came in different forms. Some involved principles—a firm "no sale" was a firm "no sale"; others stemmed from limitations or concerns, which could be overcome to make a deal; and still others were simply attempts to inflate the price and make a hefty profit.

In this situation, Lu Wu's reply becomes quite interesting. "Unfortunately, the country has not permitted me to sell equipment of this level to foreign countries." — Whether he genuinely felt regret is irrelevant; the most important thing is that this statement reveals that Lu Wu personally is not opposed to selling aircraft to them, or at least not absolutely against it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have used such ambiguous language, leaving ample room for interpretation, to politely decline their request. They would have used firm, unequivocal language to thwart the Kingdom of Elgia's idea of ​​acquiring fighter jets from them.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be the same level as the equipment you’re using now. Downgraded equipment like the tanks you sold us is fine too…” Princess Rosa wanted to try again, though this was also a test.

"This isn't a matter of downgrading or not; it involves many factors." Lu Wu sighed, hesitating whether he should speak frankly. He didn't want to be misunderstood as trying to raise the price. Fortunately, at this moment, the split-off combat group was finally ready to arrive at the assembly point, which gave both of them a way out. They smoothly changed the subject and returned to the combat arrangements.

Princess Rosa, back with her comrades, gently shook her head at the officers who cast concerned glances at her. This wasn't a formal negotiation; at most, it was a private meeting, a kind of interest assessment, and wouldn't really affect the relationship between Elgia and Amelia. More importantly, while she seemed to have received a rejection, she also saw hope.

It seems we need to figure out what's preventing Lu Wu from selling these planes. Watching the man's departing figure, she bit her lip and decided to host a banquet for some of the key members of the 7th Brigade after returning to Fabandi. Partly to sound them out, and partly to thank these volunteers for their efforts in defending the Kingdom of Elgia.

As soon as Lu Wu and Yelena left the command vehicle, they saw a convoy covered in mud and filth, reeking of damp, sludge. Some of the tanks looked to be in poor condition; their side skirts were missing, and the explosive reactive armor on some turrets had exploded, leaving bare bases as conspicuous as the bald patch on the headmaster's head. Even the insignia on these tanks were almost invisible, indicating that their working conditions over the past few hours had indeed been less than ideal.

The Ergia guide, who got out of the car, had a face full of guilt, clearly taking the blame for the team's mistake of getting lost in the swamp, even though no one blamed him for it.

Ground silk + [I°> Lu Jiu. 'Ling'′ Qi 〓! 0 Hedgehog♂↑ Fold,! Proxy purchase: The troops are ready, they just need to wait for Major Miller's airborne battalion to launch the attack, and then they can continue to break through.

By this time, 150 VDV personnel had boarded more than ten helicopters and, along with two Su-7 attack aircraft, were heading straight for Hill 143. To better support the airborne troops, not all two Su-7s were fully armed with incendiary bombs or 500kg bombs; one carried S-24 or S-5K rockets and 250kg bombs. After all, they were also tasked with ground support; they couldn't afford to blow up the VDVs and the enemy on the ground. Therefore, it was necessary to carry some rockets with a smaller kill radius. Especially with the aid of ballistic computer calculations, the accuracy of these rockets at close range was quite good, making them perfectly suitable for CAS (Combat Air Defense) operations.

Four 500-kilogram bombs completely destroyed the heavy artillery positions on Hill 143. The Belken soldiers organized machine guns for anti-aircraft fire, and compared to previous attacks, the machine gun fire on Hill 143 was clearly much denser, indicating that they had learned some lessons from the heavy losses suffered in the previous air raids. If they had been facing piston-engine aircraft like the Il-2, they might have had a chance to leave some bullet holes in the fuselage or wings of these attack aircraft and receive a "hit" signal and a few Silver Lions. Unfortunately, the Su-7 was much faster than the Il-2, and the Belken machine gunners' shots, which they thought were sure to hit, all fell behind the attack aircraft.

After destroying the heavy artillery, the Su-7 changed course and used its machine guns to suppress ground-based anti-aircraft fire, completely clearing the way for the helicopters to enter the airfield. After completing the initial combat phase, the two Su-7s ascended to an altitude of 2000 meters, avoiding the approaching Mi-24 Hinds. After all, Hill 143 was far too small for a jet like the Su-7; if they hadn't changed altitude and had instead lingered in low-altitude circles, they might have had a close encounter with the following helicopters.

The Hind helicopters used 23mm cannons and S-8KO rockets to wipe out the remaining anti-aircraft fire on the ground, creating a safe landing zone. This allowed the thinly armored Mi-4 helicopters to hover over the enemy positions without any worries. VDVs rappelled down to the ground, spread out, and lay prone to cover their comrades who landed later.

The nearby Belken people did want to eliminate the paratroopers before they landed, but without heavy firepower, they found it difficult to inflict effective damage on these enemies a few hundred meters away. The clustered helicopters altered the airflow and wind speed in the landing area, making it easy for the light rifle bullets to be blown away by the strong winds. The heavy machine guns were mostly destroyed in two rounds of fire, and the remaining machine guns would be shot down as soon as they appeared. Now, no one wanted to use the few remaining machine guns casually.

Colonel Schmidt, who was directing operations from inside the factory, quickly realized how bad the situation was. He immediately tried to send a telegram to Wiegel village for help, but to make matters worse, he received the bad news that the radio was out of service.

"Have the messenger relay the message back to Weigel village," Schmidt said, lowering his binoculars inside the factory. Through the binoculars, he could clearly see that the landing enemy numbered no more than two hundred infantrymen—although their firepower was heavy, they numbered only two hundred in total. This was likely a diversionary tactic to lure him into mobilizing his outer forces. So he ordered, "The outer forces must not move. The 2nd Battalion, block their landing site. The guard company, reinforce the 2nd Battalion. We must not allow them to spread out!"

Volume 1: Chapter 203 (VDV 2)

Four companies should be enough.

Schmidt calculated in his mind that his side had a two or even three times the troop strength, and was still on the defensive. Although the enemy had aircraft, it seemed that they couldn't carry very powerful bombs...

Then he saw a bunch of tiny flying rods hissing out from under the evil little wings of an alien aircraft, knocking away a peek-out machine gun emplacement. The soldiers who had been lying on the ground to avoid machine gun fire scrambled to their feet, quickly occupied the "machine gun position," and continued their advance. This made Schmidt's heart leap into his throat.

However, these men soon ran into trouble in front of the reinforced concrete staff dormitory building. The dormitory building had been converted into a combat fortress by the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion—all the windows were covered with curtains to reduce the shooters' exposure, and sandbags were placed along the window sills. To protect against falling debris from above and explosions from below, the firing ports were covered with wooden planks and sandbags, and tables and other protective objects were placed overhead. The roof of the dormitory building had also been occupied by machine gunners and sharpshooters, who hid behind the chimneys and similarly surrounded their positions with sandbags.

4. This arrangement proved highly effective. Although the machine gun on the roof had been destroyed before it was fired, the machine guns of the alien flying vehicles couldn't penetrate the roof. Three or four enemy soldiers were taken down by the firepower points inside the building. The enemy immediately called for fire support, but the small flying rods of the alien flying vehicles seemed helpless against these firepower points—they could only weakly stir up a puff of black smoke, and after the smoke from the explosion dissipated, fire snakes spewed out from the firing ports again, forcing the remaining soldiers to halt their rescue operation once more.

They lacked the means to deal with such a fortress. Watching the pool of blood on the ground grow larger, Schmidt felt a surge of relief; his heart, which had been pounding, settled back down. The colonel, having lowered his binoculars again, didn't witness what followed.

Viscol, the acting platoon leader of the 48th Company, looked at "Lava," who lay fallen only ten meters away. He couldn't see where "Lava" had been hit, but the pool of blood beneath him clearly told him that "Lava" wouldn't last much longer. The machine gun at the one o'clock position on the fourth floor was still spitting fire, blocking his path to rescue "Lava." The gunner was either down or had no chance to fire, which fueled his anger. Viscol pulled a white smoke grenade from his gear, removed the safety pin, and threw it prone—the smoke grenade landed right in front of "Lava." With a hiss, white smoke spewed from the cylindrical shell, quickly spreading and obscuring "Lava's" form.

Before the Belken machine guns could stop, Viscol rushed out from his hiding place.

"Lava! Lava!" he called out loudly to his best friend, turning him over. "Lava" had droopy eyelids, his blue eyes moving listlessly across his face, and his lips moved slightly.

He saw the crater on "Lava's" thigh where blood was still gushing out. He immediately pulled out the tourniquet and tied it tightly near the heart above the wound. The tourniquet worked instantly, and the blood stopped gushing out like a fountain. "Don't fall asleep! You can pull through!"

Viscol patted "Lava's" face, leaving a bloody handprint, then slung "Lava" over his shoulder and headed back the way he came. The soldiers of the 48th Company also emerged from their bunkers to cover Viscol's movements.

Viscol felt that the short distance of a dozen meters was as long and distant as a dozen kilometers. After he returned to his bunker with "Lava," the medic who had moved to that position quickly took "Lava" from his back. However, after checking him over, the medic did not take any further action to treat him, but simply shook his head at Viscol.