Thunder Warrior Saves the World

Page 3

After the paper airplane landed at the camp, the large, buzzing rotor overhead didn't stop, whipping up gusts of air and sending dirt and dust flying everywhere. Kelly had no choice but to push forward, braving the noise and gusts, hoping to get a closer look at this special vehicle that was likely his way to Svorbella. He saw several people with their heads completely covered by helmets inside the transparent windshield, and Kelly guessed that these people were probably the pilots. Just then, the side door of the plane opened, and Davis was the first to disembark.

"Alright! It saves me the trouble of coming here myself." Davis strode over to Kelly, pointed to the open cabin door, and shouted in his ear, "Go on in! Find a seat anywhere, I'll go tell the others to board!"

"Okay!" Kelly had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but the enormous noise of the rotor made communication extremely difficult—even when their heads were almost touching. He clutched his stomach and ducked into the plane. Inside were four little green men, their equipment roughly the same as the little green men in the village, but their weapons were also similar to the others, though they were covered with strange things, the purpose of which was unclear.

He sat opposite the little green men, which allowed him to observe them more closely. Their equipment looked expensive, and he wondered if he'd ever have the chance to use the same gear to kill the Belken devils… Kelly muttered to himself. Meanwhile, one of the little green men took a dark, oval-shaped cover from the wall behind him, with a strange protruding object on one side. He gestured for Kelly to put it on his head, then handed it to him.

He took the umbrella and played with it for a moment. After seeing the shape inside the cover, he immediately understood what it was for. So, he imitated the little green man and put it on his ears. Sure enough, the noise from the rotor blades outside decreased significantly. Seeing his action, the little green man gave him a thumbs up with his right hand, "The plane is ready for takeoff, fasten your seatbelts."

The voice coming from the earpiece startled Kelly, but he quickly realized it was the soldier on the other end saying, "Wow! What is that?"

"Communication headset. Fasten your seatbelt first, and watch my movements." The little green man unbuckled his seatbelt and demonstrated how to operate it. Kelly followed suit and fastened his own seatbelt. The little green man gave him a thumbs up again, and this time Kelly gave him a thumbs up in return.

“It’s great to see you back to your old self so quickly.” Seeing Kelly’s action, the person on the other end laughed heartily. “I’m Mike, Mike Howard. If you want to speak, press this button and release it when you’re done.”

"Oh! Um, I'm Austin Kelly. Did you rescue me?" Kelly pressed the call button, and after speaking, he remembered to release it after about a second. How should he express his gratitude? He had no answer for a moment.

"Although I participated in that battle, it wasn't me who discovered you were still alive; it was the good lads from the engineering company who did it. If possible, I might be able to introduce you to him."

"Thank you for your help." Kelly breathed a slight sigh of relief.

As they spoke, Davis, the doctor—Dr. Dawes—who Kelly finally learned by name, and another new doctor boarded the plane. Davis, who was at the back, closed the cabin door and then glanced back at the people in the cabin: "Eagle 4, we're all checked in, you can take off."

"Eagle No. 4 received, new kid, sit tight!"

Upon hearing Eagle 4's reply, Kelly immediately pressed himself against the chair, turned his head back, and stared at the scene outside the small round window. A short while later, with a jolt of the fuselage, an invisible force gently pressed him back into his seat, and the yellowish-brown ground began to recede from him. Kelly realized he was taking off.

The doe ascended slowly, allowing Kelly to fully enjoy the gradual shrinking of the village. Soon, the doe left Wakan village behind, and the scenery before Kelly's eyes began to change into the typical forests and plains of the area, occasionally dotted with farmhouses. These scenes, which should have been tiresome, seemed so fascinating under this new perspective that Kelly didn't want to turn his head back even when his neck was tired. All the questions he had before boarding were now dispelled by the thrill of his first flight.

Although the female Deer's flight speed wasn't fast, the straight-line distance of over seventy kilometers between Wakan and Swobella took the female Deer just over ten minutes, even though she deliberately slowed down. When Swobella came into Kelly's view, he was shocked by the sheer speed of this paper-throated aircraft. He felt he now understood why the Amelia Volunteer Army remained so nonchalant despite facing thousands of enemies—even if they couldn't defeat the Belken on the ground, could the Belken chase them all the way up in the sky?

...four

To be honest, writing a hardcore military article is really time-consuming and energy-intensive; the research alone can be incredibly tedious.

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Volume 1: Chapter 12, Chapter 11: Engaging the Enemy

Just as Davis and Kelly arrived in Swobella, the scouts sent out by the 2nd Company finally made contact with the 503rd Infantry Battalion.

The 503rd Infantry Battalion had entered combat readiness and dispatched scouts to reconnoiter the advance. However, without exception, the scouts sent out by the 503rd Infantry Battalion lost contact with the main force after being separated for some time, and the search parties sent out to find the scouts met the same fate. After losing dozens of soldiers in succession, even Herman, if he were a fool, would know that this was definitely the work of the enemy. The staff speculated that it might be the work of the Elgin guerrillas. These Elgin guerrillas were mostly native to the area, adept at using their home-field advantage to infiltrate silently through unmarked trails, which perfectly suited the current situation.

Hermann initially intended to gather his elite troops to engage the Elgin guerrillas, but a remark from one of his men gave him a wake-up call: "The Elgin guerrillas are elusive; capturing them would take too long. Instead, we should advance into this Elgin village, control the local villagers, and force the guerrillas to reveal themselves. Unlike Hudson's reconnaissance unit, we have over three hundred men, supported by field artillery. Once we capture the village, the Elgin guerrillas will be no match for us."

Therefore, the 503rd Infantry Battalion ignored the watchful scouts outside, tightened its formation, and quickly advanced towards Wakan Village. When Wakan Village came into view, the battalion, which had been marching for four hours, finally stopped. Seeing the barbed wire and trenches surrounding Wakan Village, the 503rd Infantry Battalion did not rush into the village as originally planned. A force of over a hundred men broke away from the main force, spreading out in a loose skirmish line and slowly advancing towards the fortifications, while the main force followed behind this vanguard, deploying into battle formation under their cover.

"Tsk, if only we had a few mortars on hand." In the command post, Katrina picked up her binoculars, looking at the Belken figures reflected in the eyepiece, and sighed with regret. To put it bluntly, the 7th Brigade was essentially a cripple with a castrated body. It had built a glamorous facade with advanced weaponry, but underneath lay a severe lack of support equipment, especially large-caliber artillery—the gods of war. Although Lu Wu had recognized this problem long ago and begun forming the 8th Engineering Battalion to try and solve it, building a complete system was an extremely demanding task. And on Andon Star, prices were incredibly high; Lu Wu often had to fight five or six major battles to even assemble a single company. Before arriving in Ens World, the 7th Brigade could alleviate this problem with support from friendly forces, but now, they could only rely on themselves.

"Girls, teach these bumpkins a lesson, show them how to fight." Carter said. Lina was very patient, not ordering them to fire before the vanguard entered effective weapon range. To maximize the kill count, the Belkens only gave the battle order after they were within 300 meters. After all, the first to arrive was an entire battalion of enemy soldiers; if they weren't severely wounded, how would the Royal Flintlock Regiment advance?

The first to fire were the BMP-2M "Berezhok" infantry fighting vehicles hidden on the defensive line. Equipped with modern fire control systems, their 2A42 autocannons could accurately hit ground targets 2.5 kilometers away. The gunners deliberately set the rate of fire to a lower setting to conserve ammunition, but even so, it still had a rate of fire of 200 to 300 rounds per minute. Combined with the high-explosive fragmentation incendiary ammunition belts that would self-destruct, they immediately inflicted huge casualties on the vanguard. Belken soldiers hit by the autocannon were instantly reduced to pieces, and the shrapnel would cause secondary injuries to nearby soldiers. In addition to the 2A42s on the "Berezhok," PKM and AK-12 rifles in civilian houses and barricades also opened fire.

The fierce firepower gave the 4th Company no time to retreat. In just a few seconds, their location was transformed into a bloodbath, littered with human remains, the once yellowish-brown ground now reddish-brown. At the 503rd Infantry Battalion headquarters, a kilometer away, Herman was the first to react. His face pale, he roared an order to retreat. That dense firepower was something only the Elgin partisans could produce; he even suspected there were two regiments hiding in the village! Otherwise, it was hard to explain why the enemy possessed so many machine guns. Following his roar, the men in the headquarters sprang into action, packing their belongings and preparing to move, wary of a possible artillery barrage.

In just a few seconds, the infantrymen of the 503rd Battalion experienced a dramatic shift from heaven to hell. Even though the soldiers of the 503rd Battalion were seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience, they lost the courage to continue their attack in the face of such overwhelming firepower. The retreat whistle sounded, and the 503rd Battalion, which had been gradually expanding, halted its offensive. The vanguard of the main force became the rearguard, covering the retreat of the troops behind them. While organizing the orderly retreat of their soldiers, the sergeants of the 503rd Battalion also had to keep a watchful eye on the direction of Wakan Village. They knew that if the defenders of Wakan Village launched an attack at this moment, their retreat would immediately turn into a rout.

Katrina naturally knew that defeating this demoralized enemy force would only take a moment, but in the end, she restrained her urge to launch an attack. After all, war is a continuation of politics. The 7th Brigade's battle in Wakan Village was not about annihilating this small force of only three hundred men, but about getting the Belken people to cooperate with their script, to demonstrate to the Elgeans what modern warfare is, and thus to foster cooperation.

The Belken soldiers, of course, were unaware of the 2nd Company's objective. Their lower-ranking officers were simply relieved that the Ergia hadn't pressed their advantage. But Hermann and his men were thinking more deeply. After the 503rd Battalion headquarters was re-established on the eastern edge of the jungle, the adjutant, who had suggested capturing the village to lure the guerrillas, jumped out again: "Sir, perhaps the village's defenders aren't as numerous as we think. We can leave a squad to draw their attention from the front, while the rest can flank them from the forest. That might be effective..."

Before he could finish speaking, Herman kicked his adjutant and started cursing, "Do you think I'm stupid? Everyone knows that forest is full of swamps! You think I have too many men, with three companies? I bet you're a spy for the Elgins!"

Book 1: Chapter 13, Section 12: The Royal Fusiliers

Ultimately, Hermann opted to request tactical guidance from his superiors.

It's understandable that they couldn't defeat the Elginian army; after all, on the battlefield, whoever has the stronger firepower has more say. Even a blind man could see that the enemy's firepower was simply superior. With their small force charging the position, they'd likely be wiped out before they could even throw grenades. As for the adjutant's suggestion of a flanking attack… firstly, the swamps in the forest alone make that proposal fundamentally flawed. Secondly, do you think the Elginians wouldn't have deployed a reserve force? The infantry attack tactics of the Elgin Kingdom and the Belken Empire are quite similar; both divide their troops into vanguard and main force, while maintaining a reserve. However, the Belken Empire typically preferred to use its vanguard to seize key strongholds, allowing the main force to launch a decisive attack from those strongholds. Its reserves were highly flexible, serving both to assist the vanguard in capturing key strongholds and to become the final straw in a decisive attack. The Kingdom of Elgia, on the other hand, tended to concentrate its forces as much as possible along the offensive direction, while also keeping its reserves concentrated in the assault zone, ready to rush into the attack at any time. Therefore, there was no reason why the Elgia wouldn't leave a rapidly mobile reserve on their defensive positions to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

Eleven kilometers away at the Royal Fusiliers Regiment headquarters, Colonel Cody surprisingly did not fly into a rage at Herman's plea for help. He rested his hands on the edge of a sand table prepared by his staff, on which the orange flag with seven stars and white roses of the Kingdom of Elgia had already been planted, representing the village of Wakan.

"Did we inadvertently capture the main force of the 44th Division?" The deputy regimental commander, having taken Hermann's telegram, was equally confused.

“That’s possible. The 44th Division was a wartime emergency mobilization division. Apart from the 441st Regiment of the 58th Infantry Brigade, most of the rest were new recruits with short training periods. Such a unit is unlikely to launch an offensive,” Colonel Cody speculated, tracing a line on the sand table with his finger. “Look, the location of this village is right next to our route to Svorbella. I think it’s very likely that the Ergia have set up a defensive line on our route, and this village is an important part of that line. The 441st Regiment might be stationed there.”

"So what should we do next? Should we take over this village?" Lin

“Of course. We Belken people always seek revenge and pay back debts. The Ergia dared to eat one of our companies, so they’ll pay ten times, a hundred times the price!” Colonel Cody snorted. “481st Regiment, I’d like to see how many days you can hold out against our Royal Flintlock Regiment.”

How many days could the 481st Regiment withstand the Royal Fusiliers Regiment's attack? Colonel Cody was destined never to know the answer. Because what stood in his way wasn't the Elgins at all. The retreat of the 503rd Battalion gave the 2nd Company of the 7th Brigade time to further improve its fortifications. Under Katerina's orders, the 2nd Company further strengthened its anti-artillery positions, abandoned exposed firing points, and moved machine guns and infantry fighting vehicles to backup firing positions, preparing for the next battle. Meanwhile, the 8th Engineer Battalion's engineering company's road-building work was progressing smoothly, and the 1st Company and the 48th Air Assault Company had assembled on the south side of the forest, awaiting the start of the assault.

Meanwhile, the chartered airship carrying Kelly had begun landing on the outskirts of Svorbella. From Kelly, they learned of the emblem of the Kingdom of Elgia, and the side of the doe was painted with an orange seven-star rose flag and the words "Emelia Volunteers." However, to avoid causing a disturbance in Svorbella, Davis requested to land outside the city; after all, it seemed that only the Belken people had deployed aircraft into their military forces throughout the entire Ens world.

A helicopter landed on the outskirts of Swobella, and the news was quickly relayed back to the 44th Infantry Division headquarters by the soldiers stationed outside Swobella.

“The Amelia Volunteer Army? I’ve never heard of that name before.” Division Commander Kenen pondered, “Send the reconnaissance company to see what these people are up to. Maintain restraint. But if they’re hostile, then show no mercy, give them a good beating.”

Under these instructions, the reconnaissance company of the 44th Division finally made contact with the female Hind. Kelly's presence undoubtedly increased the credibility of this group of "Ameria Volunteers," and the news Kelly brought back also made the reconnaissance company commander dare not neglect it, reporting to the division headquarters immediately. After verifying Kelly's identity, the commander and staff officers of the 44th Division quickly appeared on the outskirts of the city.

The meeting between the two armies took place in a tent erected by the Ergia near a doe. They engaged in cordial and friendly talks. The Ergia army expressed its appreciation for the ideals of the Amelia volunteers, while the Amelia volunteers stated that they would fully respect the sovereignty of the Ergia Kingdom in their upcoming military operations. Both sides agreed that the talks were beneficial and enhanced mutual understanding. They would set aside their disputes, further strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and jointly make positive efforts to expel the Belken invasion.

Yes, after so much verbal sparring between Davis and Kaineng, the final result was pleasing. Although Kaineng condemned the Amelia Volunteer Army's decision to send troops into another country without prior communication, considering that everyone's goal was to resist aggression and that the 44th Division was currently isolated and without support, Kaineng ultimately acquiesced to this outcome. As the highest-ranking officer of the Kingdom of Ergia's army in Villand Province, Kaineng naturally wanted to understand the capabilities of this quasi-friendly force, the Amelia Volunteer Army, and Davis, taking advantage of the situation, extended an invitation to the Ergia to observe the 7th Brigade's combat operations.

Despite concerns expressed by some of the Ergia staff, Kenen immediately approved the plan. After the talks, Kenen returned to his command post and had the deputy division commander, along with a staff officer, form an observation group. They then boarded a Hind and flew directly to the 7th Brigade's search and rescue base. It's worth noting that although Kelly wanted to return with the Volunteer Army, Kenen left him behind to recover from his injuries. Kelly stood on the outskirts of the city, watching longingly as the Hind took off and flew north.

Meanwhile, the Royal Fusiliers had arrived at the front lines of Wakan Village and successfully joined forces with the 503rd Battalion, preparing to launch an attack on Wakan Village. As the Nix-23 landed on the base's helipad and the members of the observation group stepped onto the hard concrete ground, the distant sound of Belken artillery fire could be heard—the Royal Fusiliers' attack had begun.

Volume 1: Chapter 14, Chapter 13: A Ray of Sunshine

The Ergia, who had been bombarded by Belken artillery many times, naturally recognized it as a 105mm howitzer, a relatively common weapon in the Belken army. These howitzers were typically only carried in artillery battalions of regimental combat teams, with only three in total. The Belken primarily used 75mm field guns, which, with their high rate of fire and good accuracy, were best suited for eliminating enemy infantry driven from their positions.

If the Belken people could bring out their precious 105mm heavy artillery, then these Amelia people must have some strength.

Besides their combat prowess, this Amelia volunteer force also possessed exceptional engineering and construction capabilities. They were certain that this area, which had been a barren wasteland just a week prior, was now covered in solid concrete, surrounded by a thick wall and various firing positions. A quick observation revealed that the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft had landed within a white circle beside a straight concrete road, and there were five other such circles around it. If these circles were specifically designed for VTOL aircraft, it meant that the Amelia possessed at least six, or perhaps more, of these aircraft.

As they carefully observed the details of the airport and moved toward the Situation Room with Davis, a roar caught their attention—a tricolor pencil with triangular wings was speeding past on the concrete road a little further away. With a flick of its tip, the pencil defied gravity and soared into the sky.

They had seen airplanes in newspapers before, but the two types they saw today clearly overturned their impressions: they lacked long, straight wings spread vertically, and they didn't have fully extended wingspans and support struts. They were larger and faster than reported in the newspapers. The Amelia people's engine technology must be excellent, which was exactly what the Kingdom of Elgia needed.

"What is that plane going to do?" the younger staff officer couldn't help but ask.

Davis glanced at the belly of the MiG-21PFM and replied, "Reconnaissance."

The staff officer was about to ask something more, but the deputy division commander put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him. While the equipment of the Amelia people was certainly of concern to them, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Davis understood this, so as soon as they got off the plane, he led them directly to the Situation Room. They had barely reached the door when they heard Lu Wu's voice: "Tell Vasily, I'll give him half an hour to take the Belken's artillery positions! Being passively attacked is not the style of our 7th Brigade!"

"General! The Ergia observation group has arrived!"

The Ergia staff were extremely surprised to find that the people in the situation room were dressed exactly like the soldiers outside—all little green figures in bulletproof armor and helmets with magazines on their backs, making it impossible to tell who was an officer and who was a soldier from their clothing. The only difference was that these men didn't carry rifles, but only pistols in holsters on their thighs.

"This lieutenant general is too young! He looks to be only in his early thirties?" The deputy division commander was somewhat shocked when he saw the youthful face under the helmet of the man in the middle. He had served in the army for twenty years and was only a brigadier general. However, the deputy division commander quickly suppressed his jealousy, briefly introduced the identities of the two men to Lu Wu, and then got to the point—the battle situation at the front line of Wakan Village.

When they learned that the Amelia had only deployed two companies to this front line, their reaction was almost identical to Kelly's: they strongly urged Lu Wu to send reinforcements to support Wakan village. In their minds, two companies holding off a regiment for two hours already demonstrated extremely strong fighting spirit. And when the 7th Brigade's battle plan was presented to the Elgins, they were speechless at this rather "bold" plan.

Lu Wu's operational plan was based on the premise that the 7th Brigade's equipment level was ten years ahead of the Belken's. However, the Elgins were unaware of this. Yes, they saw that the 7th Brigade possessed high-tech equipment such as helicopters and armored vehicles, but they had not yet witnessed the combat capabilities of this equipment. At most, they could only compare it with the Belken's similar equipment. Therefore, in their eyes, Lu Wu's plan was almost as futile as trying to use the toilet under a lamp.

Seeing the worry on the faces of the Ergjanis, Lu Wu understood that they didn't believe the 7th Brigade had the capability to carry out the plan. Therefore, he decided to give the Ergjanis a brief demonstration of the combat capabilities of their Soviet-made equipment. As for the battle at Wakan Village, he didn't need to worry about it; everything was progressing according to plan.

The two Ergia, feeling awkward about refusing an invitation from a lieutenant general, arrived at the base's firing range with a mixture of worry and anticipation. A BMP-2M was already waiting there.

The two Ergia staff officers were also seeing the tanks in person for the first time; previously, they had only seen descriptions of the Belken tanks in photographs and documents. This BMP-2M looked very different from the Belken's tanks, so they quickly asked, "General, your tank only has one..." The staff officer frowned, unsure how to describe the only weapon-like device on the BMP-2M. If it was a machine gun, the caliber was too large; if it was a cannon, he had never seen such a small caliber cannon before. With such a small caliber, could the projectile even contain propellant?

Lu Wu understood and explained, "This is our BMP-2M infantry fighting vehicle. Its main weapon is a 30mm autocannon with a maximum rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute. The ammunition it fires mainly consists of high-explosive rounds and armor-piercing rounds. The armor-piercing rounds can penetrate 25mm thick homogeneous steel plates at a distance of 1500 meters."

陆武这里≌?咝吧｀＿哎四！｜三傘＠鲮～嗖（嗦＄：说的穿甲弹是3UBR8型脱壳穿甲弹，其实2A42型机炮有一种名为M929的尾翼稳定脱壳穿甲曳光弹，可以在2000米距离上贯穿45毫米厚的均质钢板，只不过被安东没收罢了。

Only 25mm penetration? The deputy division commander was disappointed, so much so that he momentarily overlooked the rate of fire, which was even faster than some machine guns—after all, the Belken Mark I tanks seemed to have over 60mm of armor protection, and the Amelia tank guns posed absolutely no threat to the enemy. Why didn't you Amelias mount a 75mm field gun like the Belkens? Your vehicle is so big…

"The main purpose of this gun is to suppress enemy infantry and destroy lightly armored targets. If we encounter heavily armored targets, we usually use this—" Lu Wu pointed to the missile launchers on both sides of the turret, "with 9M133 'Kornet' anti-tank missiles with a penetration depth of 1000-1200 mm.

What the hell? 1,000 to 1,200 millimeters of penetration? This unassuming short-barreled gun can penetrate one meter of armor? You can't just brag like that, can you? Upon hearing Lu Wu's description, the two Ergia staff officers were dumbfounded.

Lu Wu knew that words were not enough, and since the concrete targets had already been set up on the firing range, he gave the order to fire. A thick, long, rod-like object, trailing a plume of flame, flew from the launcher, arcing through the air before hitting the target a kilometer away, leaving a large hole in the meter-thick concrete target.

Let's put the "one meter of sunshine" thing aside for now. How can this shell turn?! Is this even reasonable? The deputy division commander considered himself to be highly attentive to military technology innovation, but he had never heard of a shell that could turn before!

Volume 1: Chapter 15, Section 14: Industrial Zone Unlocked

After inspecting the target, the 44th Division's deputy commander's initial disappointment vanished. He began relentlessly questioning Lu Wu about the BMP-2M's various technical specifications. Although not entirely satisfied with the Berezov's armor protection, its exceptional overall performance had impressed the deputy commander. He even offered 5 million Ergian dollars per unit, attempting to purchase five Berezovs from Lu Wu. In Ergia, a family of five could live comfortably on 6000 Ergian dollars a month.

However, Lu Wu didn't hastily agree to the deputy division commander's offer. A BMP-2M tank without a fire extinguisher cost 7000 Gold Eagles on the system, and that was a refurbished vehicle that Anton had apparently hauled from some junkyard; he'd have to pay extra to replace the internal parts. He usually only earned one or two thousand Gold Eagles for completing a mission, and then he had to pay BVVD and Anton a 15% tax. How could he possibly sell it so easily? More importantly, who would so easily sell their active-duty heavy equipment?

However, he did not directly refuse the deputy division commander's request. Instead, he told him that the equipment was extremely expensive to manufacture and required a high level of maintenance. The Ergia did not yet have the capability to maintain the BMP-2M, and at this stage, the BMP-2M was not cost-effective. The Amelia Volunteer Army could provide more suitable armored vehicles.

In Lu Wu's view, the current Algerians don't need to spend a lot of money to buy BMP-2M tanks. The Belken Mark I is basically a localized version of the British MK.I tank, and the T-34 is sufficient to deal with it. The T-34 also has several versions. There is a basic version with a 76.2mm L-11 tank gun. If you think the armor-piercing power is not enough, you can replace it with the ZIS-2 57mm anti-tank gun. During the Battle of Moscow, the T-34/57 equipped with this gun was known as the tank hunter. Of course, if you think the 57mm caliber sounds too weak, you can also use the 85mm ZIS-S-53 tank gun, which can even pose a certain threat to the famous Tiger heavy tank.

The T-34 is also much cheaper to produce than the BMP-2M. For example, a brand-new T-34/57 with a fire extinguisher and all necessary parts can be bought for just over a thousand Golden Eagle coins. If the Erdogan were willing to pay a price—for example, to rent them a military base (the kind that costs 99 yuan)—Lu Wu would be happy to help the Erdogan establish a T-34/57 tank battalion.

The Ergia naturally understood the underlying meaning in Lu Wu's words and didn't press the matter further. Following Lu Wu's lead, they began examining the other equipment of the 7th Brigade. This time, the deputy division commander focused his attention on the individual equipment of the little green men.

"Back in January, the Eastern Empire invented a fully automatic weapon that fires pistol rounds, called a submachine gun. I've seen your soldiers using this weapon?" After the submachine gun's invention, the Kingdom of Elgia quickly acquired a batch through connections. Most officers believed that this new weapon, with its range and accuracy far inferior to traditional bolt-action rifles, probably wouldn't have much use on the battlefield. However, the Amelia's submachine gun has a longer barrel and a thicker magazine than the Eastern Empire's, so its effective range and accuracy should be superior to its Eastern counterparts.

"We do have submachine guns, but they are generally used as self-defense weapons by armored soldiers and pilots. They carry assault rifles."

"This thing fires rifle bullets? Can all of you Amelia people control the recoil from a burst of rifle bullets? Are all of you Amelia people so full of martial spirit?" Upon hearing the new term "assault rifle," the deputy division commander had questions in his mind.

“It is indeed rifle ammunition, but these assault rifles use intermediate-power rounds, not the full-power rounds you are using now.” Lu Wu took the AK-12 from the little green man, removed the magazine, and showed the 5.45x39mm rifle rounds inside to the Ergiyan.

"You've reduced the caliber and the propellant charge?" The deputy division commander immediately noticed the difference between this ammunition and the standard rifle cartridge of the Kingdom Army. This rifle cartridge was even only half the size of the standard Kingdom Army cartridge, which almost meant that once the Kingdom Army switched to this type of rifle, their ammunition carrying capacity could double. "How far can your assault rifles shoot?"

"The maximum range is 3150 meters, but we won't use it to shoot targets that far; that's for sniper rifles. Our infantry engagement distance is generally maintained at around 500 meters. We determine that at this engagement distance, firepower density is more important than accuracy."

Upon hearing Lu Wu's words, the staff officer initially wanted to ask how to handle enemies at engagement distances exceeding 500 meters. However, just as he was about to speak, he saw the BMP-2M stationary and shut his mouth again, refraining from asking the foolish question. Lu Wu then picked up an AK-12, skillfully shifting the right-hand lever of the receiver to the fully automatic firing position. He pulled the bolt up, raised the rifle, aimed, and pulled the trigger all the way down without letting go. The muzzle rise was effectively contained by his left hand gripping the handguard. Thus, when the rifle target at 300 meters was returned, the Elgins were astonished to find that the dispersion of the thirty bullets was concentrated in the upper body area.

"Amazing accuracy..." the deputy division commander praised sincerely, but before he could finish speaking, a soldier from the 7th Brigade jogged over and whispered something in Lu Wu's ear.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I must take my leave. Yelena, please teach the Elgin friends how to use them." After explaining these details, Lu Wu followed the soldier to the side, took the tablet the soldier handed him, and opened the notification. It showed that the task of drawing a map within a hundred miles had been completed, and the base's industrial zone was now officially open. Seeing this, Lu Wu's heart skipped a beat. He was in trouble. What if the buildings in this industrial zone suddenly appeared out of thin air on the ground? How was he going to explain this to those two Elgins? Was it some kind of magic trick? However, after reading the supplementary explanation, Lu Wu felt relieved. The system had opened up a huge and frightening underground space beneath this military base, and the initial industrial zone was located in this underground space. In the future, Lu Wu could decide whether to continue expanding the industrial zone underground or build it on the ground. Within this initial industrial zone, fully automated unmanned production lines for individual soldier equipment and ammunition had been deployed, waiting only for resources to arrive before production could begin.

The first collaboration between humans and the Elgins will begin with assault rifles.

Volume 1: Chapter 16, Section 15: Cody's Attack

Just as the deputy commander of the 44th Infantry Division was awestruck by the BMP-2M's ray of sunshine, Colonel Cody of the Royal Fusiliers Regiment also gained a direct understanding of the BMP-2M "Berezhok's" combat capabilities, and everyone had a bright future ahead of them.

The reason was simple. After his Royal Flintlock Regiment arrived at the front line of Wakan Village, it deployed its troops according to the normal offensive procedure. The regimental artillery battalion began fire preparation. They would bombard Wakan Village for more than half an hour, and then the 503rd Battalion would launch a decisive attack on the enemy positions to seize the forward positions and drive the enemy out of their bunkers. The remaining two battalions would launch a general offensive after the 503rd Battalion seized the forward positions and take Wakan Village in one fell swoop—at least that was the original plan. However, less than twenty minutes after the fire preparation began, a tank unit emerged from the hills on the west side and rushed straight towards the artillery positions.

This terrified Cody. The regimental artillery battalion had very few combat troops and certainly couldn't withstand the tank assault. He immediately dispatched the battalion closest to the artillery battalion to its aid, and canceled the attack preparations of the other two battalions, preparing to support the artillery battalion at any time. They only had three 105mm howitzers, the most important weapon of the Royal Fusiliers Regiment. Losing even one would be a major loss. If all three 105mm howitzers were lost, even if Cody was a colonel, he would probably be demoted.

But Vasily clearly had no intention of giving Cody a chance to salvage the 105mm howitzer. Charging out at 40 km/h like a bull, the BMP-2M relentlessly breached the outer defenses of the artillery battalion, plunging headlong into the heart of the artillery position. The rear hatch of the BMP-2M swung open, and infantrymen armed with AK-12s leaped out, launching an attack on the disorganized Belken artillerymen. The artillerymen, armed with bolt-action rifles capable of single-shot fire, were no match for these battle-hardened veterans equipped with automatic weapons, and quickly succumbed, scattering in all directions.

The soldiers of the 3rd Company did not pursue the scattered enemy troops. After securing the artillery positions, they began, under Vasily's command, to place explosives at the ammunition storage areas and the breechblocks of the artillery. After completing the placement, they quickly retreated to their vehicles, avoiding the swarming reinforcements. After a slight detour, they rushed into Wakan village. The 2A42 machine guns on the roof of the vehicles continuously fired at the Belken infantry, suppressing the enemy's attempt to approach, while the grenade launchers at the very top continuously killed Belken soldiers who managed to get close.

Because Anton and BVVD confiscated the additional armor of Lu Wu's BMP-2M, Vasily dared not test whether the BMP-2M's mere dozen millimeters of armor could withstand the fire of 10mm machine gun rounds. The 15 infantry fighting vehicles retreated back into Wakan village at almost top speed, leaving behind only more than three hundred corpses of Belken soldiers on the ground.

7. At this point, the Belken people finally realized something was amiss. No matter what, if the Belken Empire dared to provoke a war, it must have thoroughly investigated the military capabilities and troop configuration of the Kingdom of Elgia. No intelligence had ever mentioned any unit using the red star and tiger insignia. Leaving aside the large number of automatic weapons, that was actually the least mysterious aspect of this mysterious combat unit—before the war began, the Belken Empire's army had already begun small-scale deployment of submachine guns copied from the Eastern Empire, so the automatic weapons this unit was equipped with were probably also this new weapon from the Eastern Empire. The most unusual thing was the tank convoy that had emerged from the flank. Tank development was highly classified information within the Belken Empire, and it had only been exposed to the Elgia for a month since the war began. How could the Elgia have developed a new type of tank that was faster than their own in such a short time? In addition, these vehicle-mounted infantrymen are obviously used to launching assaults using armored vehicles. Their movements are incredibly swift and efficient. If such a team could be trained in a month, Cody would change his name backwards.

Originally, Cody intended to inform the division headquarters of the encounter with enemy tank units, but then he reconsidered. He realized he had lost an entire infantry company and an artillery battalion, his precious heavy firepower completely wiped out. This was the largest loss the Belken had suffered since the start of the war, undoubtedly casting a shadow over the once invincible Belken Empire army. And this loss occurred in a unit bearing the title of "Royal." If he simply reported the loss directly, he might be accused of poor command and sent to a military court, but future promotions in the army would be virtually impossible. His Majesty the Emperor would not allow someone who had tarnished royal honor to rise in rank, and his family's political enemies would find an opportunity to attack him.

This was unacceptable to Cody and his family. The shame of these two defeats had to be washed away, and only by completely annihilating the enemies entrenched in Wakan village could the disgrace be truly erased.

"Notify the division headquarters that my Royal Fusiliers Regiment has been ambushed by a small group of enemies in the vicinity of Wakan Village." Compared to the Belkens, who often deploy fifty or sixty tanks, this enemy force with only fifteen tanks is indeed a small group. "After annihilating the ambushing enemy, my troops will continue to advance towards Swobella."

"Summon all four battalion commanders to the command post. We need to adjust our offensive plan." After watching the telegraph operator send the telegram as instructed, he asked seemingly casually, "Remember to keep our battle logs safe, especially the 503rd Battalion's. They contain our valuable experience against the Elgins. We need to summarize and learn from it to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future."

The clerk responsible for recording the combat logs noticed Cody's right hand casually resting on his hip, hesitated slightly, and then stood up, saying, "Sir, we inadvertently lost a portion of the combat logs during the relocation of the command post, including those from the 503rd Battalion..."

"That's a real shame," Cody sighed, lowering his right hand from his waist. "Those damned Elgins, after you take Wakan village, remember to replace the lost battle log, understand?"

"Understood, sir!" The clerk nodded hurriedly, and then, in front of Cody, lit the combat log submitted by the 503rd Battalion with a lighter. Soon, the flames engulfed the small booklet, which was about the size of a B5 sheet of paper. Ashes fell to the ground and were then scattered by the clerk with his foot.

……

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Volume 1: Chapter 17 (Night Battle)! Night Battle!

"What are those Belken men doing? Digging trenches?" Vasily frowned as he looked at the Belken men on the front line, huddled in trenches a meter deep, with only the constantly swung shovels and flying dirt exposed to the soldiers of the 7th Brigade.

"The earthwork is advancing slowly, but it's still a good way to shorten the assault distance and reduce casualties when the enemy is suppressed by fire and lacks indirect fire." Katerina was a little annoyed. "When we get back, we must tell the commander to strengthen the firepower. A brigade like this doesn't even have a few mortars. What kind of nonsense is this?"

Vasily rolled his eyes. "You, as the commander, didn't think of getting mortars? Isn't that because that bastard Anton never used indirect fire artillery?"

"Do you think these Belkens are putting all their eggs in one basket with this method?" Judging from the dust kicked up, the Belkens had deployed at least a battalion for carpentry work, so the trench advance wasn't slow. Moreover, if the Belkens really pushed the trenches several tens of meters into the trenches, the Royal Flintlock Regiment, under heavy fire, might be willing to sacrifice lives to create a breakthrough. Vasily couldn't help but speculate this, seeing that there seemed to be no movement from the Royal Flintlock Regiment's rear.

“If it were you, would you put all your hopes for victory on one method? They definitely have a contingency plan,” Katarina said. “Here’s what we’ll do: after dark, you take a team and give the Belken some work, slowing down their progress.”

“Okay,” Vasily agreed, then turned to gather his men to prepare for tonight’s operation.

Did Cody really place all his hopes on the earthwork excavation? The answer is no. While the 501st Battalion was carrying out earthwork operations, the 503rd Battalion, an old friend of the 2nd Company, led by Lieutenant Colonel Herman, donned heavy bulletproof armor and entered the jungle east of Wakan village. The 503rd Battalion wouldn't venture deep into the jungle—it was full of swamps and wetlands, a place even the locals dared not enter lightly. Under the cover of night, they would maneuver from the jungle periphery to the flank of Wakan village and then launch an attack. If the Ergia didn't defend the flank, the 503rd Battalion, along with the 501st Battalion facing Wakan village, would form a pincer movement, attacking from both sides. Combined with street fighting and night combat, this would largely neutralize the small enemy force's tank advantage. Night fighting was a specialty of the Belken. Even if the Ergia had cautiously deployed guards on their flanks, the sudden appearance of the 503rd Battalion would divert their attention to the east, allowing the 501st Battalion to launch an assault and penetrate into Wakan village. Colonel Cody believed that once the 503rd Battalion successfully outflanked Wakan village, victory would be within reach. After capturing Wakan village, the casualties of the Royal Fusiliers could be attributed to fierce street fighting, thus lessening the responsibility on his shoulders.

As for the possibility that they couldn't defeat the Elgins in night battles, he immediately dismissed that notion. He was joking; night battles were their forte. A midnight attack a century ago had paved the way for the current Belken Empire in the Ens world. Not to mention, they now possessed a miraculous drug called "Cat's Eye Pill," which could improve soldiers' night vision and eliminate fatigue. What could the Elgins possibly use to fight their Imperial Army?

However, Cody never expected that these non-drug "Elgeans" possessed something called a low-light night vision device, which was far superior to their drug-using abilities. Moreover, each of them had one, making their night combat capabilities no less than, if not stronger than, those of the drug-using Imperial Army.