Chapter 913: Chapter 913: Sentimentality
"Boom——!"
The deafening explosion suddenly echoed from a distance, startling Groove and Dog Brother who were discussing the retreat plan beside the field command center.
Both of their expressions changed instantly, and they hurriedly walked into the field command center, standing in front of the only radio set.
The operator sitting in front of the radio had just made contact with the frontline units.
Seeing General Groove and Dog Bear walking into the command center, he didn’t wait for General Groove to ask questions and immediately stood up to report rapidly.
"Report! The attacked unit is the Fifth Thousand-Strong Team under the 102nd Ten Thousand Troops! The number of attackers is unknown, estimated to be 1 or 2 armored units!"
Dog Brother quickly asked.
"Where is that Fifth Thousand-Strong Team?!"
The operator immediately replied.
"Millyans County!"
Hearing this familiar place name, Dog Brother immediately sweated in his palm.
"Damn... These guys have got some skills!"
They’ve hit them right in the weak spot right from the start!
A tough opponent!
At the same time, General Groove was already in front of the map hanging in the command tent.
Looking at the lines marked on the map, his eyebrows gradually knitted into a tight rope.
In the entire strategic deployment of his "North Wind Operation," the position of Millyans County is equivalent to a logistics transfer hub.
Although the main focus of this battle is to disrupt the opponent’s logistics supply lines, with each unit breaking into small groups to assault forward, there are no stable supply lines, but the seized supplies cannot just be buried on the spot; ultimately, they still need to rely on roads and vehicles to be transported away.
Millyans County is such a place.
The supplies captured by the 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Ten Thousand Troops were first scattered and transported here, and then centrally transported back to the Snake State frontline by a small number of truck units.
Originally, according to the plan, the retreating 102nd Ten Thousand Troops would gather in the northern part of Millyans County to hold back the army’s reinforcement units, buying time for the transfer of supplies by the 101st and 103rd Ten Thousand Troops.
However, the marching speed of the Southern Legion was unexpectedly fast, arriving at Millyans County ahead of the gathering 102nd Ten Thousand Troops!
If this area falls, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for the 102nd Ten Thousand Troops gathering here.
They would be like water spilled on a hot iron, instantly evaporated by the scorching heat.
A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
General Groove took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
The more critical the moment is, the calmer one must remain. Losing composure would mean losing everything.
The opposing side’s counterattack speed was incredibly fast, clearly not coming from ordinary folks.
Looking at this side, although there were nine Ten Thousand Troops, most of their equipment consisted of light weapons, and they severely lacked anti-armor and anti-aircraft measures.
The army’s audacious risky action clearly had some follow-up prepared.
If he coveted the supply in Millyans County and pushed all three Ten Thousand Troops up, not only might they lose the advantage they had gained, but they might also lose their base...
Going all-in or folding both has chances of winning...
But if hesitating, failure was certain!
At this moment, this usually somewhat naive-looking old fellow showed a few wolf-like ferocities on his face, deciding in just two seconds.
"Notify the 102nd Ten Thousand Troops, the plan has changed... Bypass Millyans County and retreat directly to the Snake State border, retract from the enemy’s strategic depth with the fastest speed!"
"Take as many seized supplies as possible! Bury or hide what can’t be taken in nearby villages, or directly destroy them!"
"Yes!" The operator saluted crisply and swiftly, then returned to the radio set.
After issuing commands, General Groove felt the blood in his body boiling, pulling out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one with matches, and taking a deep drag before calming down.
He convinced himself that this was the last one this month, and only now could he take a few puffs.
Based on the prior analysis in his mind, he was almost certain in a hundred percent, that the Southern Legion’s reinforcement scale this wave was at least over a hundred thousand!
And this was also the confidence the opposition had in sending a light armored troop deep.
Seems like he really hit them hard this time, and there’s a chance he might even be featured on a playing card bounty.
Groove felt no fear in his heart, rather every cell in his body trembled with excitement.
"Damn... Finally getting to do something big!"
His lips curled into a cold arc, and he firmly stamped out the half-smoked cigarette on the ground.
Those big noses better not disappoint him.
He’s about to get moldy sitting on this cold bench at the border; these small skirmishes aren’t worth a damn.
Zayed only let him use thirty percent of his strength against the army, focusing more effort on training soldiers, and the "offensive business" indicators were halved when ordered to Gopal.
Even this "North Wind Operation" getting approved was thanks to the pressure from the alliance brother beside him.
He knew his boss had political concerns, worrying about the Southern Legion consuming the army for no gain, benefiting a coveting Family Meeting, and Shaluk without practical benefits, but focusing solely on politics without unity won’t save Poluo Country.
Of course, he won’t make things difficult for the boss but will use his method to "kill two birds with one stone," breaking this stalemate.
Wasn’t Zayed worried about Shaluk taking advantage of the situation?
That’s easy to handle.
Since the higher-ups expect him to use the "North Wind Operation" to prove their determination to strike the Southern Legion, he would turn the fake act into reality, delivering a heavy blow to the Southern Legion’s deployments in the south of Wolf State, thoroughly hurting these wolf pups!
This time, if the legion acted seriously, they would inevitably fight their way into the Snake State border, and Shaluk would have no reason to ignore the fire spreading to his territory.
By then, they would be pinching him!
Dog Brother, staring at the map, was also devising a countermeasure but didn’t expect General Groove to have already made a decision.
Although abandoning Millyans County is indeed an option, he always felt it wasn’t the perfect choice.
Even if the fifth thousand team was caught off guard, holding out for one or two hours should not be a problem.
If the other nine thousand teams scattered in the area could be gathered together, relying on numerical superiority to wipe out this light armored troop was not impossible.
"...Are you planning to abandon Millyans County? I feel there might still be a chance."
Dog Brother tried to present his own thoughts but was ruthlessly dismissed just as he spoke.
"Don’t think about it, we have no chance. Moreover, I’m not just abandoning Millyans County, to be precise, I’m abandoning the entire logistics transfer plan."
Looking at the map, General Groove, as if he were a cold machine, continued expressionlessly.
"We must withdraw the frontline troops as soon as possible and prepare defenses along the border of Snake State, striving to inflict as much damage on our enemies as possible! I have a strong premonition that the Southern Legion will soon launch an unprecedented offensive against our main forces."
"Including the bombing of strategic facilities in Snake State, including a full-on assault by armored troops... We’re about to face an unprecedented situation, and we must begin preparations early."
Hearing the resolute voice, Dog Brother involuntarily held his breath.
If the situation is truly like this, then his considerations were indeed somewhat inadequate.
Yet thinking about those youngsters who called him family, he couldn’t help but speak up.
"But the fifth thousand team in Millyans County has already been targeted by the Southern Legion’s light armor. If we truly leave them be, they have no chance to withdraw—"
Groove replied unhesitatingly.
"Then don’t withdraw! Fight a defensive battle on the spot, hold out as long as possible to buy time for their comrades."
Dog Brother stared blankly at Groove, as if seeing a stranger for the first time.
Is this guy still the Groove who loved his soldiers like his children?
Wait a minute...
He suddenly remembered.
This guy would often call him brother and listen to everything he said, but when it came to making decisions, he never truly listened to a single one of his advisor’s words.
Including when formulating the entire Northern Wind Operations.
Although the entire plan was submitted in his name, Groove intended for all the credit to be attributed to his "brilliant strategy," but thinking carefully, this guy always agreed in words to his suggestions, acting differently when executing them.
However...
Maybe this guy was right.
After all, Groove is a general, while he is just a "dog-headed strategist" who comes up with half-baked ideas.
If everything followed his arrangements completely, it might end in disaster.
However, after seeing Groove’s cold-blooded transformation, he suddenly had a new understanding of this "straightforward" "old buddy."
This guy is not the rash youth he imagined, but a fox with deep and shrewd calculations.
Perhaps deep in his heart lies a sincere heart, and his admiration for Yishel isn’t feigned, nor his genuine desire for equality and fraternity on this land, but when it’s time to make decisions, he always chooses reality over ideals without hesitation.
Deception and performance are ingrained in his bones, becoming part of his true self.
Dog Brother didn’t know if he was being too sentimental, but this guy truly was a bit frightening.
Seeing the stunned Dog Bear, Groove seemed to realize he had spoken too harshly, quickly putting away his cold-blooded expression, placing his hands on his shoulders, and started persuasion.
"Don’t be naive, my friend, this is war, and what war has no deaths? Besides, I’m just an ordinary person, I don’t possess General Yishel’s abilities to venture into enemy lines repeatedly, using a thousand lives to save ten thousand lives, which general wouldn’t choose this way."
"I know..." Dog Brother smiled wryly, "Perhaps I’m being sentimental... It’s just that they always call me family, and I can’t help but regard them as my family, I would give my life to exchange theirs, wishing it was me who died tonight."
He would not interfere with command here, nor did he have the right, he just wanted to express his immature views.
"Hey! If you’re thinking this way, aren’t they thinking the same?" Groove sighed heavily, his tone growing heavier, "We’ve all been prepared for death, not just you and me, but also the young men of the fifth thousand team, we are all one family... sacrificing for family, we should’ve been prepared for this."
Those youngsters were the first to reach the destination, they should have received the honor and the medal’s commendation.
But now, they were heading into a battle with no retreat and no reinforcements.
This was likely going to be a tough night for them...
General Groove took a deep breath, exhaled the impure air from his chest, then turned to walk towards the tent door to feel the cool breeze outside,
The decision he made was not an easy one.
Perhaps allies would find him cold-blooded, but he wished he could truly be a cold-blooded guy.
That might have made things easier.
Facing the silent Dog Bear, Groove spoke in a hoarse voice.
Like he was speaking to himself, yet also solely to him.
"Quit while you’re ahead... I didn’t want to use this phrase in this occasion, but it’s your proverb..."
"Am I right?"
Thinking of the casualties in Tiandu being no less than here, Dog Brother nodded silently.
"Perhaps you’re right."
...
Millyans County, the dim night gradually transformed into a faintly bright day.
Although the artillery had stopped in the first half of the night, the gunfire rang throughout the entire night.
Everyone underestimated the will of resistance of the fifth thousand team, even including the fifth thousand team themselves.
The Centurion died and the Centurion took over, when the Centurion was lost the Thousand Leaders took the guards up.
By the end, the entire thousand team had all the senior officers dead, leaving only Marjorie, the Centurion.
Among the pile of corpses, he picked up a piece of broken glass, quietly poked out from the cover to take a look at the situation outside.
The tank stopped in the middle of the road still glaring at them, the Weilante People had no intention of leaving an escape route, searching house by house.
They seemed determined to kill them all, and would rather kill the innocent than let anyone go.
Thinking of those implicated elders and villagers, Marjorie painfully closed his eyes.
At this moment, the gunner beside him made a noise and grinned, saying.
"Sir...it’s already dawn, when will our reinforcements arrive?"
"Very soon." Marjorie replied randomly, his eyes tightly fixed on the end of the street.
"Sir..."
"What, spit it out if you have something to say."
"There’s no reinforcements, right... Don’t lie to me, I actually knew from the start."
"..."
"Sir... I can’t go back, if you can, can you take a message to my son for me?"
"Go ahead, I’ll remember it."
"Hey... Then I’ll say it..."
Marjorie waited for a while, but heard no sound from beside him. Turning his head, he realized the young man with a face darkened by burns had breathed his last.
That was the last soldier under his command.
Now he was dead too...
A surge of hot blood rushed to his head, unable to hold it anymore, he hugged the cold corpse brother and screamed at him hysterically.
"Say it! I’ll take it back for you! Damn it, you f***ing say it!!!"
The sudden roar startled all the Weilante people who were cleaning the battlefield.
Thanks to him, a mother and daughter who were about to be executed lived a little longer.
"I’ll fight you all to the death!!!"
Marjorie picked up his rifle, his entire body seemed briefly revitalized as he furiously launched his final charge.
At this moment, he was like a true Awakener, or perhaps he had truly awakened something.
Unfortunately, even an Awakener couldn’t withstand the strafing of 10mm machine gun bullets with bare flesh.
"Tat-tat-tat---!"
He heard the sounds whizzing towards him, just felt multiple streams of heat piercing into his body.
Surprisingly, what followed was not unbearable pain.
It was like a food coma after being well-fed, he only felt his consciousness sink, then silently fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, on the tank in the middle of the road, Caffer, who pulled the trigger, swallowed nervously and excitedly, drawing a line on the gun tower beside him with a marker.
"The 111th..."
This was his first battle in life.
So smooth it was unbelievable to him.
"Should be the last one." The captain sitting behind him exhaled tiredly.
The gunner assigned to the driver’s seat glanced back.
"How do you know?"
The captain didn’t explain much, casually said.
"Guessing."
...
The battle in Millyans County lasted the entire night.
Due to the enemy’s fierce resistance, they were delayed too long at the last building.
That was a repair shop built by the logistics team.
The garage of the workshop was used by the Poluo people as a warehouse, storing many looted goods.
To minimize damage to local infrastructure, their officer forbade them from using the main cannon to bombard the workshop, only allowing tank coaxial machine gun support.
But actually, it made no difference whether the main cannon was used or not.
The fighting spirit of these Poluo people was strong, but there was nothing beyond that.
Less than hundreds of casualties on their side, while they annihilated over 1000 Poluo Country soldiers.
Gibson had no particular feelings about these numbers.
Different types of battle have different kill ratios, and he could feel that this side’s troops hadn’t fought in any major battles, incomparable to the northern troops.
Incidentally, compared to civilian casualties in Millyans County, both numbers were insignificant.
But it didn’t matter.
Giving the locals a harsh lesson was an order personally deployed by General Giulion.
According to the local garrison report, the guerrilla team managed to penetrate their rear largely due to intelligence support from locals.
In General Giulion’s own words, the locals here must remember this bloody lesson with their bodies.
Seeing the battle finally come to an end, the adjutant who worried all night finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"...With Marshal above, it’s finally over."
Moved a stool next to the command vehicle, opened a bottle of beer, Gibson glanced at him, grinning said.
"You seemed quite anxious."
The adjutant smiled wryly and said.
"Aren’t you worried if they send their main force over to support?"
Gibson chuckled lightly.
"If they can plan an operation like ’North Wind’, the commander is definitely not ordinary... The intel says it’s called Groove, right? I hope I have a chance to meet this guy."
Adjutant: "Uh, does it have any relevance to what I just said?"
"It has a lot to do with it. Since their commander isn’t ordinary, they would certainly consider why we would dispatch an elite armored unit to boldly advance forward..."
Gibson took a swig of beer, continuing in a nonchalant tone.
"His choice is obvious. Instead of betting on a 1% chance, might as well ’quit while ahead’."
Honestly speaking, those lads fighting him all night were truly heroes.
He initially thought the local forces lacked combat experience, and with Shaluk being a coward who brags but doesn’t fight, these guys would last only one or two hours before crumbling against his light armored unit. Yet they fought until the last person, without a single surrender.
Even the last coward turned into a tough guy; this bone is getting harder to gnaw...
Gibson opened another can of beer, but instead of drinking it, he poured it onto the ground.
"In the next life, be born into a good family, don’t come here."
And don’t be a Weilante person.
He silently murmured the latter sentence to himself, smiling as he tossed the empty bottle aside.
At this moment, a soldier jogged over, snapped to attention and saluted.
"Report! Our patrol unit found a village nearby with our lost weapons and equipment. The local villagers explained that they were left behind by retreating units."
"You guessed it right indeed."
The adjutant looked at Gibson excitedly, finally wiping the last bit of sweat from his palm.
The enemy didn’t reinforce!
Even if their main force is truly on the way, it would be tomorrow by the time they arrive.
If they had gambled wrong, even if they broke through successfully, they would still leave shamefully.
Gibson, however, wasn’t surprised at all, instead giving a sidelong glance at the soldier who came to report.
"Why bother asking that villager where the supplies came from."
The soldier was taken aback, not understanding what the commander meant.
Gibson grabbed the unfinished bottle of beer, taking a large gulp, and idly curled his lips.
"You think you’re some savior coming to aid the countryside? Listen up, rookie. The reason those rats hid their stolen assets in the rat hole you found is simple; that rat hole houses their relatives, and the next time they come, they can retrieve what was stored there."
"Now, I’ll tell you what to do. First, forget everything you learned in recruit training camp and from recruitment ads. Then find a tank to go over and settle their payment."
"Other rats should know the consequence of cooperating with the guerrilla team. Want to apologize? Remember to do it early next time."
Facing those fierce eyes, the soldier’s Adam’s apple moved, hurriedly saluting.
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, standing next to a tank, Caffer was excitedly reporting his "111 kills" record to the logistics officer counting casualties.
Hearing this rookie killed over a hundred, that logistics officer had a peculiar expression, looking towards the slightly older appearing tank captain.
The latter nodded slightly, casually saying.
"Nothing strange about it, we’re in the vanguard. The enemy didn’t have time to dig trenches, and just the first two rounds of shelling took out quite a few."
"Alright then, hopefully our reported enemy kills aren’t exaggerated enough to make up an entire ten thousand troops."
The logistics officer ultimately didn’t argue, recording the number as it was, then proceeded to the next tank.
Even if the numbers are slightly inflated, it doesn’t matter; everyone is doing this.
The gunner stared enviously at the leaving logistics officer, couldn’t help but click his tongue.
"Damn... Caffer, get back to your driver’s seat, next time let me fire the cannon."
Caffer grinned and said.
"Sure, but I’ve discovered I might have quite a talent for firing cannons."
The gunner jokingly cursed.
"Bullshit, next time I’ll show you what it means to be professional!"
Caffer chuckled, not bothering to argue with this bastard.
He was in a good mood.
After coming here, he finally found his groove.
Bullying civilians in Evernight Harbor didn’t make one much of a hero, especially when facing one’s own kin.
The battlefield indeed felt like his rightful place.
Just then, a soldier ran over from afar, saluting the tank captain.
Putting down his canteen, the captain raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Got a mission?"
The soldier hurriedly nodded.
"A village six kilometers to the north found a large amount of our lost supplies."
The captain seriously nodded.
"Understood."
Saying this, he patted the tank hull and shouted to the lads munching on biscuits.
"Mount up!"