lcionline Chapter 978: Pointless Struggle
Chapter 978: Pointless Struggle
The wind and snow were like knives, cutting every inch of exposed skin. The sky and the earth seemed to be interwoven with endless white and gray and black. The howling wind brought a biting chill, blowing up the flying snow all over the sky, blurring the vision. Only the symphony of wind and snow could be heard.
In such extreme weather, the Chinese army was not affected by the external environment at all. Battalion Commander He Zhong held the walkie-talkie tightly, and his voice was unusually steady in the wind and snow: "Attention, all teams, the target person, Prince Renyu, has been confirmed to be in the convoy of Mitsui Trading Company. Take compulsory action immediately! Repeat, take compulsory action immediately! But remember, our first priority is to ensure the safety of the target person, there must be no mistakes!"
On the other end of the intercom, deputy battalion commander He Chong responded quickly: "Understood, battalion commander! The armored vehicle troops are in place, and the encirclement is shrinking rapidly."
Following He Chong's order, dozens of heavy armored vehicles shuttled through the wind and snow like a steel torrent. Their tracks rolled over the snow, making a rumbling sound, and soon formed an airtight encirclement, trapping the Mitsui & Co. convoy. The lights of the vehicles in the convoy flashed, and they looked extremely panicked, but they still tried to find a breakthrough.
"Prepare for action!" He Zhong gave the order again, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
At this time, a fully armed soldier poked his head out from the top of an armored vehicle, raised his Iron Fist rocket launcher without hesitation, and aimed at a truck at the end of the merchant's convoy. The rocket launcher sprayed out dazzling flames, accompanied by a deafening explosion, and the truck was instantly engulfed by the flames, turning into a pile of twisted and deformed scrap metal.
"Counterattack! Prepare to counterattack!" The guard leader beside Prince Renyu gritted his teeth and ordered, "We must protect His Royal Highness the Prince and not let anyone hurt him!"
The guards sprang into action, some taking out the weapons they carried with them, while others escorted Prince Renyu as he retreated to a safer part of the convoy.
In the snow, the Fuso Imperial Guards began their counterattack. They used the shelters in the convoy to quickly organize a defense line, trying to resist the oppressive advance of the armored vehicles. The gunners in the guards fired hard, and the bullets intertwined into a web of death, hitting the armored vehicles, splashing sparks, but unable to penetrate the thick steel armor.
"Suppress fire! Don't let them raise their heads!" Deputy Battalion Commander He Chong was giving orders via the radio in the command room of the armored vehicle.
The armored vehicles remained unmoved and continued to advance. They were like a mobile fortress, defusing the escort's counterattacks one by one. Under the cover of the armored vehicles, a large number of infantry quickly followed up, using the armored vehicles as cover to advance forward. At the same time, the unique roar of the MG42 general-purpose machine gun resounded through the world. It was a chilling sound, like a call from hell, tearing through the wind and snow, and also tearing through the escort's defense line.
"Make a detour to the left and cut off their retreat!" He Chong gave the order again. His tactics were flexible and varied, constantly compressing the escort team's range of activities.
The armored vehicle group quickly adjusted its formation, with some vehicles moving to the left wing, forming an encirclement of the escort team.
The escort was quickly beaten back by the powerful firepower. They tried to find a breakthrough, but every charge was ruthlessly defeated by the firepower of armored vehicles and infantry. Arrows and bullets flew in the wind and snow, but they seemed so powerless in this world shrouded in flames of war.
"Increase firepower on the right wing to suppress their counterattack!" He Chong continued to adjust tactics. His command was like a precise clock, and every instruction was just right.
As the order was issued, the armored vehicles and infantry on the right wing increased their firepower output and suppressed the escort's counterattack again.
The snowstorm was still raging, but on this battlefield, the symphony of steel and fire had taken over. The armored vehicles shuttled through the snowstorm like giant beasts, followed closely by the infantry. The escort team, in the face of the absolute firepower advantage, seemed so pale and powerless in their resistance.
"The encirclement is about to be formed, prepare for the final assault!" He Chong's voice rang out again. With the coordinated operations of armored vehicles and infantry, the fate of the escort team seemed to be doomed.
In the snow, the figure of the captain of the Royal Guard, Yasui Sanxiu, was like an angry lion. He grabbed the collar of a merchant guard, pulled the guard up from the snow, and asked loudly: "Where is your captain? Tell me, where is he?"
The guard of the trading company was frightened by Yasui Sanxiu's momentum and trembled all over. He shook his head tremblingly, and his voice was filled with tears: "I... I don't know, the captain... he was here just now, now... now I don't know where he is."
Upon hearing this, Yasui Sanxiu cursed "waste" and then let go of his hand.
He took a deep breath, glanced at the caravan guards around him, and said in a firm and powerful voice: "Everyone, it's time to be loyal to the Fuso Empire and the Emperor! We can't let His Royal Highness fall into the hands of the enemy, we must find a way out for him!"
Upon hearing this, the caravan guards showed fear and hesitation on their faces. They knew that the enemy outside was extremely powerful and had fierce firepower, and the weapons and equipment in their hands could not compete with them at all.
At this moment, a middle-aged man stood out from the caravan guards and loudly retorted: "Captain An Jing, the enemy's firepower is too strong, the encirclement has been formed, you are asking us to die!"
Upon hearing this, An Jing San Xiu's eyes flashed and he strode forward, grabbing the middle-aged man's shoulders. His voice echoed in the wind and snow like thunder: "As long as we can ensure the safety of His Royal Highness, even if we all die, it will be a worthy death! This is our duty and our honor! Are you willing to fight with me for the Fuso Empire and for the glory of the Emperor?"
Under the severe pressure and constant urging of Anjing Sanxiu, the people of the trading company's escort team finally plucked up the courage and left the bunker.
Just as the dozen people poked their heads out from behind the bunkers, seven or eight MG42 general-purpose machine guns opened fire almost simultaneously. The dense machine gun bullets poured down like a violent storm, instantly turning the people of the merchant escort team into sieves.
Blood splattered in the snow, wailing and screaming intertwined, forming an extremely miserable picture. Those once vibrant lives were now like withered flowers, quickly disappearing on this ruthless battlefield.
Yasui Sanxiu hid behind a big rock and witnessed the scene with his own eyes. He cursed, "Damn it!" He gripped the samurai sword tightly in his hand, and his fingers turned white from the force.
At this time, a member of the Royal Guard approached Anjing Sanxiu and said in a low and calm voice: "Captain Anjing, even if we use these people from the merchant company as cannon fodder, they will never be able to break through. The enemy's firepower is too strong, and we are at a disadvantage in both equipment and numbers."
Upon hearing this, Yasui Sanxiu breathed heavily, with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
The current situation did not allow him to hesitate any longer. He had to come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise, all of them would die.
However, just as An Jing San Xiu was thinking about countermeasures, He Chong had already issued a new order. Soldiers holding rifles quickly surrounded him in a fan shape.