Munitions Empire

Chapter 595: General Qin Xiong, age 554

As Jiang Xian called his 2nd Army back from the eastern front to reinforce the defenses of King City, inhabitants within Nanye witnessed a sight they would never forget.

Hiding behind the windows of their homes, they saw a No. 4 tank rush past the deserted streets.

Soon after, vehicles filled with Tang soldiers and trucks towing artillery followed suit, sweeping through the streets of Nanye without stopping.

The 4th Armored Division didn’t waste time on the peripheral Qi troops and, upon learning of Nanye’s weak defenses, charged straight into the city area without hesitation.

Despite having city walls, the remaining defending infantry battalion commander ultimately chose to surrender with dignity.

The small Qi force stationed there, even if they engaged in street fighting, to be honest, it wasn’t really enough to make a significant attrition.

Moreover, with the combat effectiveness of the Qi Army, if they really spread out for street fighting, how long they could hold out was a huge question mark.

In order to increase his bargaining chips for surrender, the Qi commander and local officials handed over all the supplies stockpiled in Nanye to the Tang Army without causing any form of destruction, not even entertaining the thought of it.

By the time the 4th Armored Division entered the city, there were enough supplies stockpiled there to feed 100,000 people for four months, as well as a variety of ammunition, and even a complete train station was preserved intact.

What came as a pleasant surprise to the Tang commanders was that, for fear of being attacked and bombed en route to the front line, 20 locomotives were still parked here with over 100 rail cars stored.

These trains instantly filled the transportation void for the Tang Army within Qi territory, while also saving a significant amount of time in the transportation of supplies.

Thanks to the grain captured in Nanye, the Tang Army could now continue fighting in Qi territory for at least a month, ensuring the food supplies for their troops.

Jiang Xian was still unaware that Nanye had already changed hands by this time, nor that the Tang Army tanks were already crossing Nanye, headed for his King City.

The battle for Luo Town continued under these circumstances, with the Qi Army still preparing to retake the vitally important Luo Town, unaware of Nanye’s loss.

Only after the loss of the 3rd Army and the arrival of General Qin Xiong at the front line did the Qi forces regain their spirits and began organizing a proper offensive.

But by this time, the Qi Army discovered that the Tang forces blocking their path had fortified their defensive positions, reinforced their troops, and arranged their armored corps on the flanks.

Reaching this stage, Qin Xiong also knew it was unlikely to break through the defense ahead. Therefore, the first thing he did upon arriving at the front was to send a telegram to the First Prince, advising him to take a detour from the eastern front and lead his troops to retreat.

"Now, to continue reinforcing Luo Town is futile,” he said in the telegram, “A position that cannot be reclaimed by 100,000 troops will not be reclaimed by 150,000 either! Continuous troop inflow will bring logistical pressure, which is clearly unwise.”

Qin Xiong suggested to the First Prince, “I will press the attack here, and if a breakthrough is possible, it would at best reach Nanye to aid King City. Your Highness taking a detour on the eastern front will lead to the same King City, with no difference.”

After sending the telegram to the First Prince, Qin Xiong made a detailed inquiry about the circumstances surrounding the attack on the 3rd Army’s headquarters. Upon confirming that the Third Prince and Tian Heng’s group were likely annihilated, he immediately began organizing the subsequent troops for an offensive.

Two regiments of Qi troops launched another probing attack on the Tang positions, only to be met with Tang artillery fire for over ten minutes, forcing the two attacking Qi regiments to retreat.

Apart from leaving behind more than two hundred corpses, this offensive achieved almost no effect. Observing the battle from a concealed trench on the front line, Qin Xiong finally understood the combat strength of the Tang forces he was facing.

"Well-trained He put down his binoculars and turned to a Qi officer at his side, sharing his assessment, “They are very restrained before we enter the killing zone, with almost no machine gun nests revealing themselves, and no rifles firing. This is a sign of experienced troops.”

"Their artillery fire is continuous, showing that the enemy is not under logistical pressure, and they have plenty of ammunition without the need to conserve,” Qin Xiong mused, running his hand over his binoculars as if talking to himself.

The binoculars he held were imported from Tang Country, considered a luxury item in the military for their price. They were much better in quality and higher in precision than the ones provided by Shireck’s aid.

Qin Xiong cherished these binoculars, often hanging them around his chest. Another item he was reluctant to part with was an export version of a collectible PPK pistol from the Great Tang Group.

Whenever he inspected his troops or took part in significant events, he liked to carry these two items.

"Shall we launch an attack with our tanks?” asked a Qi officer, somewhat anxiously, “We don’t have much fuel left, and time is tight

"No matter how anxious we are, we cannot just recklessly push all our chips onto the gambling table! Child,” Qin Xiong smiled and shook his head, “Give the 3rd Army a chance for vengeance. Inform them that they will be responsible for the attack this morning. If they can’t take it, they will face military justice!”

"At the very least, we should know the enemy’s first layer of firepower deployment. Sending in tanks rashly will only lead to more losses,” he said as he once again picked up the binoculars to observe the Qi Army artillery bombarding the Tang Army positions, “The impact points are too scattered, wasting ammunition!”

The artillery currently firing belonged to the Qi Army’s second-line troops. The gunners were undertrained, and the models of the cannons were quite old, mostly second-hand goods given away for free by Shireck, so you can imagine their quality.

Yet, even these second-hand guns that were given away for free by Shireck were far more formidable than the old muzzle-loading cannons that the Qi artillerymen had used previously.

An extensive barrage of 130mm howitzers bombarded the Tang Army’s positions on the battlefield like an outpouring of pent-up hatred.

Qin Xiong was a veteran general with extensive experience, a background as an artilleryman, and deep familiarity with artillery operations. With the help of Shireck’s advisors, he deeply understood modern artillery warfare.

It could be said with absolute certainty that among all the Qi generals, Qin Xiong was the most capable, with Tian Heng being slightly less so. Sadly, the capable Tian Heng had passed away and could no longer fight for Qi Country.

Qin Xiong, arriving from the central line, soon experienced what the western troops had described as the “howling of the reaper.” Suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle sounded above his head.

"Woo… Buzz The continuous, grating noise made Qin Xiong frown. He instinctively looked up, only to discover that above his head was a roof made of round logs.

But in the next second, a massive explosion made the roof shake, dust trickling down, causing Qin Xiong to narrow his eyes.

"Quick, come and help!” A guard unhooked his canteen to help wash Qin Xiong’s face. By the time these men had clumsily rinsed his eyes, the marauding Stuka dive bombers overhead had already departed.

"What the hell is that?” complained a Qi officer who had witnessed such a thing for the first time, looking discontentedly at the Qi regimental commander beside him.

With an embarrassed expression, the commander promptly reported, “Sir, it’s always like this with Tang Country planes. We’ve gotten used to it.”

Qin Xiong, who had been fortunate enough not to encounter Stukas along the way, now realized that their disregard for Tang Country’s air force stemmed from the fact that the Tang air force had never considered them a primary target.

If such howling were to occur on the central battlefield, Qin Xiong believed that his own troops would fare no better than the western allies.

"We must attack right away Qin Xiong uttered grimly. After a pause, he continued, “Add another regiment! For the next assault, at least three regiments! No retreat until we’ve touched the Tang Army’s positions!”

Before long, the Qi Army launched another assault. Waves of infantry clambered out of makeshift trenches to advance, braving the continuous artillery fire from the Tang Army and stepping over the bodies left from earlier, in a scene of tragic grandeur.

They had no other choice but to use their lives to gauge the strength of the Tang Army. They were quickly enveloped in artillery fire, with the Tang Army’s mortar fire joining the fray, making the barrage impenetrable.

Amidst the smoky battlefield, it was getting hard to see even silhouettes. The Tang Army’s artillerymen obviously possessed precise range card parameters, allowing them to methodically lay down fire based on firing charts.

In stark contrast to the Qi Army’s artillery that was constantly harassed and whose training lagged seriously behind, the Tang Army’s artillery corps was professional and advanced, demonstrating a fighting capability that was on a whole other level.

The Tang Army’s 155mm howitzers, with their long-range and powerful blasts, were nothing short of a nightmare for the attacking Qi forces.

Just three rounds of concentrated fire, and the infantry on the battlefield from Qi Country had already lost their will to attack. The supervising officers fired a few shots haphazardly before retreating, failing once again to assess the Tang Army’s weaknesses and strengths.

"The western troops’ morale has collapsed. Relying on them is probably just wasting time,” Qin Xiong’s aide-de-camp remarked anxiously after seeing their retreating forces.

"You’re right!” Qin Xiong also knew that depending on these rattled fellows wouldn’t accomplish anything, so he had to readjust his deployment, “Let’s send the armored corps to try! At the very least, to give the enemy a different challenge.”

He tried to lighten the mood with a joke, “If we keep fighting like this, those damn Tang people will probably fall asleep.”

However, as the Qi military officers in the command post were preparing to join their superior in a laugh to alleviate the tension, the untimely howl of the Stuka dive bombers resounded once more.

This was quickly followed by the trembling of the earth and a deafening explosion… Without question, another unfortunate artillery position had likely just been sent sky-high by a 500-kilogram aerial bomb.

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