Chapter 972: Tanks Show Their Power
"Pass my order, the entire battalion must clear the attack route and follow the tank troops. Also tell the tank company that if they can't take Menggong City, I will not play with them!" Feeling that the main attack mission had been snatched away from him, Ma Dazhi's tone was naturally not very good.

Lin Hao had high hopes for Ma Dazhi's Battalion, but when he attacked, he found that Xiao Zi had actually dug so many bunkers, which shocked Lin Hao.

If they had no means of restraint, Ma Dazhi's battalion would have been destroyed long ago.

Although many pillboxes and underground bunkers were destroyed by heavy artillery, the efficiency of the attack dropped.

This made Lin Hao a little anxious. Once Xiao Rizi's reinforcements arrived, the plan to raid Menggong City would fail.

So when Tank Company member Zhao He asked to take the lead, Lin Hao agreed without thinking.

But no one expected Ma Dazhi to be so stubborn that he hasn't come to his senses yet. In order to grab the credit, he even wanted to rush in front of the tank. Therefore, Lin Hao had to force him to let the tank rush in front.

With the current anti-tank means of Xiao Ri, it is impossible to cause significant damage to the A32 tank.

Combined with the intelligence sent back by the Air Force, Xiao Ri's artillery squadron had been completely destroyed. Without the threat of artillery, tanks were invincible.

As expected, when the tank company joined the battlefield, the machine guns in the bunkers and blockhouses were no match for the tanks.

Then the infantry followed the tanks and rushed to the front to place explosive packs. Afterwards, the bunkers were like paper and were all paralyzed in a few minutes.

The captain of the Xiaozi Army who was defending the first line of defense could never have imagined that the reinforced concrete defense line he was guarding would be so vulnerable in front of the Sichuan Army.

With the cooperation of tanks and infantry, and the heavy artillery behind, various cross-fire points set up before the war fell down quickly and continuously like dominoes.

After the Xiao Rizu were bombarded by powerful artillery fire, their morale immediately dropped and they retreated one after another. Some even knelt down and begged for mercy, but it was useless because they did not want prisoners.

When Captain Xiao Rizi saw the defense line collapse, he immediately led his men out of the temporary command post and fled towards Menggong City behind him.

As a result, they encountered a squad of soldiers from the Sichuan Army Corps, and Captain Xiao Rizi immediately ordered his men to attack.

As a result, as soon as the battle started, more than half of the troops were killed or wounded by the Sichuan Army's M14 fully automatic rifles.

"Damn it, are those submachine guns or machine guns in the hands of the Sichuan Army? Why is the firepower so fierce?" The captain of Xiaorizi took a breath of cold air.

"Look at this tree!" said a lieutenant, pointing to a big tree.

Everyone saw that on the tree as thick as a bowl, there was a translucent bullet trajectory that penetrated through it.

Even with the Type 38 rifles in their hands, they were no match for the enemy.

"Baga, the Sichuan Army's submachine guns are simply heavy machine guns?" said the captain of the Xiaorizi team, taking a breath.

"Major, what should we do now?"

"How about we surrender?" They were now trapped here and couldn't escape at all. Surrender was their only option.

"Bang~!" Just as he finished saying this, he was shot dead by the captain of the Xiaorizi team.

"Baga, anyone who dares to surrender will be killed without mercy!"

At this time, Li Feng, the squad leader of the seventh squad, third platoon, first company, first battalion on the opposite side, was preparing to go around with a squad of soldiers, but they ran into a small group of villains.

Without saying a word, he pulled the trigger and fired a volley of bullets, killing seven or eight of the guys.

"Sergeant, we seem to have caught a big fish." A sharp-eyed soldier said excitedly as he looked at the captain of the Xiaorizi team holding his command knife in the distance.

"Big fish? How big? A lieutenant?" Li Feng didn't expect that he would have such good luck.

"He seems to be a major. Yes, a major. I've seen his major's sword before. I saw it at the place of Mitsui Jiro. It's exactly the same."

Hearing this, Li Feng's eyes lit up. In Meng Gongcheng's daily life, the highest military rank he had was only colonel, so the rank of major was not low either. He was indeed a big fish.

"Encircle the enemy from both sides, use machine gunners to suppress the enemy, and try to end the battle in five minutes!"

"Yes."

"Da da da!"

"Da da da!"

The firepower formed by the eleven M14 fully automatic rifles was so powerful that the Xiao Ri had no chance to fight back. The bolt-action rifles could only be crushed by the automatic rifles.

In less than five minutes, more than a dozen Xiaorizi were all shot dead. Looking at the captain of the Xiaorizi team lying on the ground, Li Feng was a little surprised.

"You're quite good, you're really worthy of being a major." Li Feng said happily as he picked up the major's knife.

"Hehe, I just have good eyesight!" And this was just a small episode on the battlefield.

On the other side, after receiving an order from Ma Dazhi's First Battalion to clear the attack path, the tank company dispersed their formation and rushed forward.

"All crews, pay attention! Cover the infantry's attack on the bunker." Tank company commander Zhao He commanded on the vehicle radio.

"Yes!"

Following Zhao He's order, five A32 tanks rushed to the front of the first battalion, and Ma Dazhi's first battalion officers and soldiers followed closely to cooperate with the action.

"Damn, Zhao He is such a bastard~!" Ma Dazhi said unhappily after taking a mouthful of dust.

"Hurry up, don't fall behind." After cursing a few times, seeing that many infantrymen were still in a daze, Ma Dazhi shouted again.

With the addition of tanks, the speed of knocking down the bunkers was extremely fast, making the lives of those stationed on the second line of defense terrifying.

"Captain! The Sichuan Army's attack speed is very fast. What should we do?" the sergeant asked fearfully.

This captain, who had lived a carefree life, looked as pale as death. He had not expected that the Sichuan Army actually had tanks, and they were Soviet-made A32 tanks. Their anti-tank level was like playing house.

"It's okay. We also have tanks. When our tanks arrive, they will definitely flee." Captain Xiao Rizi said this with a heavy heart. It was completely a lie.

Those little bugs of theirs have no way to deal with the A32. Even if they point the rear of the tank at them, the little bugs may not be able to penetrate it.

How can he convince others if he himself doesn't even think about his own lies?
The soldiers on the second line of defense were not fools. They could see clearly that the Sichuan Army had already broken through the first line of defense and were not far from their second line of defense.

Wherever the Sichuan Army Corps went, the bugle sounded, several mortars were fired, and then the new submachine guns in their hands fired a few shots, and then a bunker was blown up to the sky.

The most desperate thing is the life in the bunker. They see the tanks coming but have no way to deal with them. Their machine guns can't penetrate the tanks' armor. They can only pray to Amaterasu in their hearts, asking them to stop them.

As a result, the Sichuan Army soldiers behind the tank were escorted to the front by the tank, and then they installed explosive packs and fired a cannon. The power of the explosion was so powerful that even the roof of the guardhouse collapsed.

At this rate, all of their defense bunkers could be destroyed in less than ten minutes.

Within the second line of defense, those hiding in bunkers and watchtowers were in complete despair. They had originally thought that the fortifications were extremely solid, but now it seemed that they could not stop the enemy at all.

"Captain, Colonel, send the tank squadron to provide support!" At this time, a sergeant came running over to report.

"That's great. With the tank squadron, we can still hold the first line of defense." Captain Xiao Rizi's heart was filled with hope again. With the tank squadron here, they still have hope.

Originally, Takeuchi Renzan wanted to use the tank squadron as his trump card, but he didn't expect that under the coordinated air-ground operations, the first line of defense would be taken down so quickly and so tragically.

You know, he deployed more than 500 people on the first line of defense and sent Major Yamada to take charge in person.

The result? Still a defeat, and even the loss of one's life.

At this moment, Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu was driving a Type 97 medium tank and rushing towards the first line of defense with high spirits.

But when they saw the A32 tank, they were completely dumbfounded. Their Type 7 medium tank could hardly defeat Vickers or BT-32 tanks, let alone the A tank. They were completely helpless.

"Baga, baga, this~this~this~! This is an A32 tank! Damn it, this is a heavy tank, and we are asking our medium tanks to fight against heavy tanks!" Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu was completely confused and couldn't help cursing.

In the eyes of the Xiao Ri people, the A32 tank weighing more than 15 tons is already a heavy tank, and their -ton Type tank is a medium tank. In fact, this is just self-deception due to their lack of resources.

According to the standards of the great powers, tanks weighing less than 20 tons are considered light tanks, and tanks weighing more than 40 tons are considered heavy tanks. The so-called Type 97 medium tanks are just toys in the eyes of the great powers.

So when Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu saw the A32 tank, he was completely panicked.

The A32 tank driven by Zhao He had already aimed at these small tanks. Looking at the small tanks, Zhao He showed a cruel smile and ordered:

"Brothers, there are tanks ahead, hit them hard. Crews of tanks 2 and 3, flank them at full speed from the left wing! Crews of tanks 4 and 5, flank them at full speed from the right wing!"

"attack!"

When the tank company commanders saw Xiao Ri's tank squadron, they were like taking stimulants. Five of the A5 tanks rumbled their engines and rushed forward like a pack of hunting wolves.

Although Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu had never fought against the A32 tank, he had already seen detailed information about this Soviet tank.

Xiao Rizi actually didn't know that this was a custom-made tank that Lin Hao prepared specifically for them. It had increased armor protection, reduced gun caliber, increased barrel penetration, and made for a tank with super maneuverability.

But even so, after Matsuoka Nagayasu recognized the A32 tank, fear still surged in his heart, and what he didn't know was that there was a surprise behind it.

From what I heard from you, your Type 97 is quite experienced in attacking infantry, but he has no confidence at all when facing a real steel monster.

But he had no choice but to go ahead, so he shouted loudly into the communicator:

"Assault! Attack! Charge! Charge! Spread the formation and attack from the side and rear!"

Just as he finished speaking, the turret of a Type 97 tank next to him flew into the sky, and the thin front armor was torn into a big hole from top to bottom as if it had been chopped by a huge axe!

As the A32 tanks advanced tactically, a series of actions including stopping aiming and firing were completed.

Captain Nagayasu Matsuoka's tank squadron was devastated, turrets flew into the sky, tanks were blown into scrap metal, and blazing torches were lit on the battlefield.

Seeing this scene, Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu's scalp tingled. He no longer cared about the spirit of Bushido and shouted loudly:
"Retreat quickly, retreat quickly!"

Unfortunately, no matter how fast he was, he couldn't be faster than a cannonball. His vehicle had long been targeted by Zhao He. Looking at Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu's tank, Zhao He said coldly.

"fire!"

A high-explosive bomb spun out quickly and penetrated Captain Matsuoka Nagayasu's Type 97 tank in less than a second, detonating the ammunition compartment.

"Boom!" A violent explosion sounded, and the Type 97 tank turned into scrap metal.

Soon, the Xiao Ri Zi tank squadron was completely wiped out, and the Xiao Ri Zi on the second line of defense fell silent! Fear flashed across their faces.

"Don't worry about them, don't stop! Keep moving forward!" Tank company commander Zhao He shouted on the radio.

After hearing the order, all the A32 tanks continued to roll forward, and the infantrymen following behind followed, either firing more shots or blowing up the bunkers.

The second line of defense wanted to block the attack, but they didn't know what to use. They couldn't use their heads to block the shells, right?

"Contact the command center and request artillery support!" Seeing the tank company begin to attack the second line of defense, Ma Dazhi immediately asked someone to contact the regiment headquarters.

"Yes!"

Soon, a sharp whistling sound was heard again, and the powerful artillery fire all hit Xiao Rizi’s second line of defense.

"Boom~, boom~!" For a moment, the last line of defense of the daily life, which was already shattered, was also engulfed in fire.

Every now and then, a small day would be blown away, and morale would become even lower.

About five minutes later, the artillery fire continued to extend, and hundreds of officers and soldiers from the first battalion of the Sichuan Army Corps followed the A32 tanks and rushed towards the second line of defense.

At this time, the smoke on the high ground had not yet dissipated, and the surviving soldiers began to shoot based on their intuition.

After being blocked by sporadic fire from Xiao Ri, Zhao He immediately ordered the tanks to open fire in retaliation.

The powerful tank bombardment instantly wiped out the scattered and sparse resistance of Xiao Ri.

Seeing this, Ma Dazhi led the way and rushed towards Xiaorizi's position with an M14 fully automatic rifle. Hundreds of infantrymen behind him formed a skirmish line and rushed forward with shouts like a tide.

When the last line of defense of Xiao Ri was captured, the soldiers of the entire army cheered.

Zhao He did not stop and continued to order the tank company to advance forward, continuing to crush forward with powerful assault firepower that could sweep away everything.

All those who tried to stop the attack were wiped out one after another by tanks and artillery.

At the front-line command post of the Sichuan Army, Lin Hao was watching the changes on the battlefield through a telescope. When he saw that the third line of defense had been taken, he hammered the sandbag hard.

"Well done, all obstacles have been cleared. Order the entire regiment to launch a general attack immediately and try to capture Menggong City before dark!" Lin Hao ordered loudly.

"Yes, Danzao!"

"Commander, the guard company requests to join the battlefield." Meng Fanle stood up and requested.

The guard company is very well-equipped. If we join them, the battle will definitely end early.

After a little thought, Lin Hao agreed to Meng Fanle's request.

"Leave a platoon to protect the headquarters!"

"Yes!" Meng Fanle saluted and turned to leave.

······
In Menggong City, a communications staff officer walked into the command center, looked at Takeuchi Lianshan anxiously, and said hurriedly.

"Colonel, it's bad. The defense line outside the city has completely collapsed. The Sichuan Army is encircling and blocking Menggong City. Colonel, please leave as soon as possible."

"Baka!" Takeuchi Lianshan was furious when he heard that. He slapped the communications officer so hard that blood came out of his mouth. Then he said angrily:

"Asshole, the Imperial Japanese Army is invincible. As warriors of the Empire, we must not cowardly flee. Order the troops to organize a counterattack immediately."

The communications officer who was slapped said with some grievance and despair:
"Colonel, the defense lines outside the city have all been breached by the Sichuan Army!"

"The Sichuan Army, with tanks as the vanguard, quickly advanced into the city. Not only that, the enemy had already launched a general offensive and began to advance in two directions to the southwest. The gap was getting bigger and bigger and it was impossible to hold it."

"The wing is now under attack from both sides. The defense line has completely collapsed. The remnants of each squadron have retreated into the city. They are seriously injured. We are completely unable to fight back."

Hearing this, Takeuchi Lianshan's face turned pale, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he felt extremely irritated.

"Baga, what's going on with this Sichuan Army? Why doesn't the intelligence department have any news about it?"

Unfortunately, no one could answer him, because the intelligence department had not yet collected any information about this Sichuan Army Corps.

In fact, even if they got the news, they might not be able to defeat the Sichuan Army. After all, the weapons of the Sichuan Army were much more advanced than theirs, and the generation gap could definitely not be made up by just numbers.

"Where are the reinforcements?" After calming down, Takeuchi Renzan asked again.

After the first line of defense was breached, Takeuchi Renzan immediately sent a telegram to the 56th Division requesting tactical guidance.

"Colonel, there are no reinforcements at all. The division commander wants us to find out who the enemy is!"

"According to intelligence, the Sichuan Army has already withdrawn to Nujiang River, and they are now confronting the empire's warriors!" The combat staff officer stepped forward at the right time and said hurriedly.

Hearing this, Takeuchi Lianshan was completely panicked and immediately said angrily: "Baka, what do you mean by figuring out who the enemy is? Did we all see it wrong?"

As he spoke, he drew out his command knife with a swish, raised his hands and chopped it down on the conference table in front of him.

The sharp saber hit the wooden conference table directly, and then the blade was embedded in the mahogany table and could not be pulled out.

Takeuchi Lianshan was so angry that he seemed to be crazy. He raised his foot and wanted to kick over the conference table. However, the mahogany was too heavy and hard. Not only did it not fall over, but it also made Takeuchi Lianshan's foot hurt.

"Baga, bastard!" Takeuchi Lianshan roared, "Put me through to the division commander. I want to talk to him in person!"

"Colonel, our telephone lines have been blown off, and we are temporarily unable to contact the outside world!" said the operations staff helplessly.

"Baga, send someone to fix it?"

"They have been sent out, but they haven't come back yet~!" The rest of the words were not said, but everyone knew that they probably wouldn't be able to come back, after all, the Sichuan Army was already outside the city.

"Colonel, our most urgent task right now is to gather our forces and attack one place fiercely and break out before the Sichuan Army completes the siege of Menggong City!" the combat staff also agreed.